Tough Love
by AlwaysLove
Summary: Rumor has it...that Hermione Granger & Draco Malfoy are apparently involved. The fact that they are both Heads of Hogwarts and live in the same dorm, makes matters stickier than necessary. Could the rumors really be true? COMPLETE! DMHG
1. The Rumors

Just so you know, this is my first ever fanfiction…..**love** it or **hate** it, you decide.

**Chapter One**

"Can you believe the nerve of them!" screamed Hermione, as she entered the Gryffindor common room. Ginny, who was escorting the hysterically angry Hermione Granger, was quite afraid to reply due to the circumstances. She tried to construct a supportive response, but her thoughts were interrupted by a loud and angry screech.

"Ginny! Are you even listening to me!"

"Huh? Oh..umm…I was jus—"

"Never mind." interrupted a very pissed off Hermione, and she immediately continued to rant on. "The point I am trying to make is that Ron and Harry never think about how stupid their actions are. Wouldn't you think that they would have come to talk to me about such a personal matter before blurting it out in the Great Hall! Those stupid GITS!"

Hermione took an extremely long breath, which could easily be described as an angry huff, before continuing to vent.

"How could they possibly even think that I, Hermione "Mudblood-Know-It-All" Granger, could possibly have a thing with Draco "I-Think-I'm-So-Hot-&-You're-Not" Malfoy! I mean, seriously! And even if they were to suggest such a thing were true, at least confront me in a more private setting, not in front of the ENTIRE school! Ugh!"

Hermione suddenly stopped ranting and plopped down onto the extremely comfortable armchair that was adjacent to the fireplace. Ginny immediately took the opportunity to try to calm her down before Hermione began her next series of venting began.

"Hermione," Ginny said softly, "you know… my brother, Ron, is equivalent to a cow, and Harry is a "spur-of-the-moment" kind of guy. They both may be equally senseless, but they are your best friends and they'll be begging you to forgive them before you even know it."

Hermione smiled at Ginny's comforting words, and as if on cue, Harry and Ron entered the common room pleading for forgiveness.

"Hermione. We're so sorry. We didn't mean to announce that to the entire school." Said Ron, who was attempting to put on a puppy-dog frown.

"It's true, 'Mione, Ron and I have just been seeing you hang out with Malfoy more often, and when we saw the two of you walking to dinner together, we just had to ask you." added Harry.

"But really, it's all Harry's fault for blurting it out so loudly…" said Ron, earning himself a deathly glare from Harry. "We're really sorry."

Hermione just glared at the two of them, then began an entirely new rant. "How thick are you two! I admit I have been spending more time with Malfoy, but it is purely business. In case you two haven't noticed, Malfoy and I are the Heads of Hogwarts since the beginning of this school year, which only started one month ago. We share a dorm and common room, we walk the halls together all the time in search of troublemakers, and it's practically inevitable that we spend time with each other! Even if you guys are jealous of my new "friend", you mustn't announce falsely to the entire school that Malfoy and I are involved in a love affair. I mean, honestly, the nerve! You have no idea how many rumors are going to be started now. You both should be very proud of yourselves." added Hermione sarcastically.

Harry and Ron looked at each other guiltily, and then looked from Ginny to Hermione. Ron managed a really weak "Sorry…?" before Hermione huffed and marched off to her dorm room in the "Head" Wing.

On her way to out of the Gryffindor common room, Hermione tried to ignore all the continuous stares and whispers from the girls she walked by. Hermione kept her head held high, trying to seem untouched by the rumors, but when she was half way to her dorm, she was joined by a smirking Draco Malfoy.

"Hello Granger. How are you? Wait…Don't answer. From what I hear, you should be in the Hospital Wing right now, not storming through the school." Hermione gave him a questioning look, only to be replied by yet another infamous smirk. "Well you see, Pansy informed, or more likely screamed, that you were in fact pregnant with my child…that is…until you had a miscarriage earlier today."

Hermione laughed with Draco at the ridiculous rumor, and then looked over at him with confusion. "Do you really want to be seen walking with me right now, especially with the rumors? Don't want you to ruin your "perfect pureblood" reputation."

"That's quite considerate of you, thinking of my well-being, you'd think we _were_ dating." said Malfoy sarcastically.

"Humph. Well, why exactly _are _you walking with me?"

"Simple. It'd be illogical to walk two steps behind you all the way to our dorm room, which seems to both of our destinations. Plus, if I followed you to the Head Wing, as opposed to walking _with_ you, there'll be rumors accusing me of stalking you."

"Well at least those rumors would be true. _Chocolate Frogs._" Hermione told the sleepy knight the password and entered the dorm followed by an appalled Malfoy.

"Are you implying that I stalk you? 'Cause if you are, you are obviously confused." cried Draco incredulously. He continued following Hermione through the common room to her bedroom door.

Hermione turned to look at Draco and said, "Well, you did follow me from the Gryffindor Wing all the way to my bedroom. Not to mention, you walked me to dinner, and for the past week I've been seeing you a lot more often. So how do you explain that?" Hermione said teasingly

Malfoy stumbled on his words and managed to concoct a good excuse.

"That's..That's because we're partners, we work together. I'm not going to bother with explaining to you how I _am not_ stalking you. Let's change the subject." Malfoy said as he leaned against Hermione's doorway. "Anyways, I was meaning to ask you…What kind of friends do you have anyways. Are they honestly that dumb?"

"Then again. Her friends are Pothead and Weasel." Thought Malfoy

"I don't understand how my two best friends could possibly be soo clueless." Hermione said, shaking her head, as she wiped away the dirt on her dresser. "In the end, I'm obviously going to forgive them, but I'll wait awhile. Maybe I'll forgive them after a week, that way; they have seven days to realize what they did wrong."

"That's quite genius..actually"

"Of course, I am Hermione Granger…Wait a second…was that a compliment!"

"Almost." Draco looked at Hermione questioningly. "I have another question, why do they even think that we're having a _quote-unquote_ love affair? Have you been confessing to them about how much you adore me?"

Hermione made a gagging motion. "Yeah, right. First of all, I don't confess, second of all, I don't adore you…that would be a joke, third of all, what's with the third degree? I've never seen you sneer in such an annoying manner---scratch that---I have…every.single.day." Hermione, herself, smirked at her witty comeback.

Malfoy, who was still leaning in the doorway of Hermione's room, glared at her, but his expression quickly morphed into an evil smile. "So, Hermione. How about we _confirm_ some of those rumors _tonight _in my bedroom?" Draco said as he tried to edge closer and closer towards Hermione.

Hermione scowled at him, pushed him out of her room, and slammed the door, wiping the smirk off his face.

"Rejection…perfect way to bruise a guy's ego."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please REVIEW! 


	2. The Aftermath

Thanks for the reviews, it kept me writing. Hope you guys will like this chapter.

F.Y.I. most of the italics in quotes are thoughts.

**Chapter Two**

It was 6 a.m. in the morning, and the sun was barely even out. Hermione could hear her alarm clock ringing beside her, but she was too exhausted from yesterday's events to even lift a finger. She knew that if she did get out of bed, reality would hit. That in truth, Malfoy was actually _hitting _on her last night, and also Harry, Ron, and her were fighting, not to mention she's the talk of the school for being a "Slytherin Slut" and "betraying her fellow Gryffindors". Yup, it was decided that she would _never_ get out of bed.

Hermione's thoughts in her half-sleep were interrupted by a loud pounding on her door. She let out a distressed sigh, something she's been doing a lot of lately. The pounding continued, and Hermione did her best to ignore the irritating knocks. But, no luck… because before she could cover her ears with her pillow, a very distraught Malfoy barged into her room, scaring the buhjeezuhs out of her.

"…_and so the day begins." _

"Granger! You have got to get out of bed! It's 6:15! Class is going to start in ten minutes! Snape is going QUARTER us if we're late! Get UP!"

Hermione's eyes snapped open at the mention of Snape. She suddenly remembered that she had Double Potions today at 6:25. She flew out of bed, knocking Malfoy into her bookshelf, and ran to the bathroom to get ready.

"Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap." was all Hermione managed to say before jamming a toothbrush into her mouth.

Watching her from the bathroom opening was a very amused-looking Draco. He watched as the frantic Hermione attempted to get ready in time. Her bushy brown hair was all over the place, and her pajamas were crinkled and creased revealing her toned stomach and her long legs. Draco had to admit that Hermione had gotten a lot prettier in the past couple of years. Her hair had become tamer and there were light blonde highlights that blended in perfectly with her boring brown hair making it not-so-boring.

As Hermione attempted to brush her unkempt hair, she noticed an immaculately-dressed Draco examining her from the doorway, and she felt a wave of insecurity come over her. She was about to shoo him out, but stopped when she saw him lift his wand, point it at her, then say an incantation she had never heard of. And right before her eyes she was dressed in her school robes, and ready for class. Hermione just stared at him wide-eyed.

"How did you do that?"

"It's called magic, but you know, there's not too much of that around here, seeing as that we attend Hogwarts School of _Witchcraft_ and _Wizardry_." remarked the sarcastic Slytherin, as they made their way out of their dorm.

Hermione frowned at his smirk. "I know that much, but where did you learn the spell from? I've never learned, or even heard of it before and I'm top of the class."

"Are you serious!" replied Malfoy. "It's basic magic. I've seen my mum use it a thousand times on me when I was a kid. But I guess it's a pureblood thing."

Hermione didn't say anything, but continued to rush to Potions with Draco at her side, disregarding all the gasps from her gossipy classmates.

Hermione knew Snape would be sure to make a big deal out of their tardiness, since Draco and her are suppose to set an example being Head's and all.

"Why are you suddenly so quiet? We're nearing the Potion's Dungeon. We aren't going to be late." inquired Draco, who was stumbling from trying to keep up with Hermione's fast-paced walking.

"I'm just ….just curious as to why you would even help _me_. You could have just left for Potions without me, but you decided to wake me up so I wouldn't be late. Also, you helped me get ready in, like, two seconds with your incantation. I don't get it, what I happened to the whole 'I Hate Mudbloods' spiel."

"That was years ago, I was naïve. I'm helping you because I'm trying to make up for last night."

Hermione laughed. "Oh. You mean when I rejected you?"

"No! I mean when you missed the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend the night with me, the Slytherin Sex God."

"Puh-lease." Hermione said as she rolled her eyes.

As the twosome entered the intimidating and dark classroom, the class had just begun. Hermione sighed in relief that she wasn't late, but instantly drew in another deep breath as Snape approached Draco and her with a sick smile. She heard Malfoy whisper "Watch and learn" into her ear sending chills up her spine.

_That was odd._

"Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger. I'm glad you finally find my class to be so important that you arrive late." Snape remarked sarcastically.

"But we weren't even la---." was all Hermione managed to say before she was cut off by a very cool and composed Malfoy.

"We're extremely sorry for disrupting your teachings with our tardiness, professor. We lost track of time, which is not an excuse for being late to class. It won't happen again, sir."

Snape just glared between the two of them looking disgusted. "I'll let you two off with a warning, but don't think that just because you two are Head's, you can do whatever you want."

"Yes, professor. We're extremely sorry." Draco said, and then made his way to his seat on the Slytherin side.

Hermione was stunned at Draco's ability to talk himself out of, what would have been, a week of detention. This was the second time this morning that Draco had amazed her, and it wasn't even 6:30 yet. She watched him as he took his seat, still cool as a cucumber.

Realizing that Hermione was still standing in the back of the classroom, speechless, Draco motioned for her to sit down. Hermione quickly took her seat next to Lavender on the Gryffindor side of the classroom. Unfortunately, Ron and Harry sat right in front of her. There was no way to avoid them now.

"_Please don't talk to me. Please don't talk to me. Please don't talk to me."_ chanted Hermione in her head.

"Hi, Hermione."

_Damn._

"Hermione, Ron and I are really sorry about yesterday."

Silence.

"Please forgive us."

Still silence.

"At least say something."

Hermione remained quiet. She vowed silently to forgive them just as soon as they do something worthwhile for her in return.

"Hermione, even though you're obviously ignoring us, we know you can still hear us. Come to the Gryffindor common room tonight after dinner, we have a surprise, and I bet you it'll make you forgive us."

"I'll see if I can make it. My schedule's really full… I mean, with all my love sessions with Malfoy during spare time, I barely have enough room on my agenda to squeeze in homework." Hermione remarked smartly.

"We get it, 'Mione. Our accusation was totally unjustified. Just come to the common room after dinner. We promise you won't regret it." Harry said. He was quite satisfied that he got Hermione to speak to him, and quickly began taking notes again before Snape decided to give him detention for being a disruption.

A tiny smile crept onto Hermione's face as she wondered what her two dunderhead friends had hidden up their sleeves.

Okay. I admit that nothing really happened in this chapter, but keep reading there will be a twist.

REVIEW!


	3. The Surprise

Read and Review!

**Chapter Three**

It was 7 p.m., and Hermione sat alone in the Head's common room trying to decide whether or not to go to the Gryffindor Wing like Harry had said. She had purposefully skipped dinner that night to avoid more begging from her two friends, but immediately regretted it when her stomach began to growl.

Hermione shook out of her thoughts as she heard someone approaching. It was Malfoy. And he was carrying a plate of food!

"Hey, Granger. Why weren't you at dinner? Potter and Weasley were looking for you?"

"That's exactly why I skipped it. Harry and Ron had asked me to go to the Gryffindor common room because they said that they had a surprise for me. I'm not sure whether or not I should go." Hermione replied thoughtfully, and then pointed at the plate of food Draco was holding. "Are you going to eat that?"

"No, I brought it for you, seeing that you skipped dinner, I thought you'd be hungry." He said, then smiled, not smirk, but smiled a sincere smile.

Hermione took the food from him feeling warm and fuzzy on the inside. "Thanks." She said rather shyly.

There was a long silence with just Draco watching Hermione as she ate her dinner. But the silence was quickly broken by Draco.

"I think you should go."

"Hmm..?" Hermione replied with her mouth stuffed with potatoes.

"You should see what surprise your friends planned for you. Then, you should forgive them. They seem to be trying to work really hard to earn your friendship back."

Hermione began to choke on her potatoes after hearing those words come out of _Draco's_ mouth. "Who are you, because you're definitely not a Malfoy." Draco just smiled. "Never mind… Do you really think I should go?"

"What did I just say?"

"Alright, fine. I'll go." Hermione said as she put down her fork leaving half her dinner to waste. She walked towards the exit, then added sarcastically, "Thanks for the advice, Dr. Phil."

"Dr. Who?" asked Draco confusedly.

"Never mind. It's a muggle-thing." Hermione said, and left for the Gryffindor common room.

As Hermione neared the Gryffindor Wing, she saw Neville pacing back and forth in front of the Fat Lady, then proceeding to jump two feet in the air as he saw her walking towards him.

Neville turned to face the Gryffindor entrance and yelled, "HERMIONE! Um...HOW. ARE. YOU. DOING!" He shouted this so loudly that Hermione felt permanently deaf.

The Fat Lady began whimpering and glaring at Neville as if he were insane.

"_Must be confused…poor kid."_ Hermione thought.

"Whoa! Neville I'm standing over here, right in front of you… no need to shout at the Fat Lady."

Neville looked at her embarrassingly, and then motioned for her to enter the common room.

"_Caput Draconis._" She said, and the Fat Lady willingly opened the door, revealing a dark and deserted common room.

"_That's weird."_ Hermione thought.

Then all of a sudden the lights went on, and there were party decorations all over the place, and all her Gryffindor friends jumped out of all different hiding places, and screamed, " SURPRISE!"

Hermione was definitely surprised, and speechless. But her classmates, on the other hand, had much to say.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry for believing all those rumors, but Harry and Ron cleared up the misunderstanding." Said Parvarti.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry…BFF's, kay?" Said someone Hermione didn't even recognize.

"'Mione, I hope you liked our surprise." Said Harry.

"Yeah, forgive us?" said Ron.

Hermione smiled, and then pulled Harry and Ron into a hug. "Of course I forgive you guys. I love surprises!"

Harry and Ron smiled at Hermione, and they each grabbed a butterbeer, and clinked their bottles to their friendship.

"CHEERS!"

* * *

Time past quickly as the party progressed, and before Hermione even knew, it was already 12:30. The Gryffindor common room was now teeming with a group of drunken students dancing, and various people making out. Hermione, who was obviously sober, was relatively disgusted, and wanted to leave and get some sleep. She saw Ron standing near the fireplace, looking a bit drunk, and trying to chat up a few giggly girls. As she approached him, she noticed that he was holding onto the fireplace for dear life.

"Hey, Ron. I think I better get back to my dorm now. I advise you to do the same."

"Ohhkay, 'Mione. Hopeyouhada…Guh-reat time!" Ron slurred, causing the girls around him to giggle to death.

Hermione hesitantly hugged the drunken mess. "Thanks for the party, Ron. But I think you really should get some rest, though, you're quite drunk."

"Mmph. I am not…drunk!" Ron said defiantly before passing out and falling into a deep sleep on the cozy Gryffindor rug. The girls that surrounded him by the fireplace began hysterically laughing. "Ronniekins… fell on his TUSHIE!"

Hermione looked utterly revolted, and went to find Harry.

No searching was necessary because when she turned around, she saw a boy flapping his arms on top of a table roaring, "I'm a dragon"… and it was none other than the boy who lived.

Hermione, shaking her head disapprovingly, decided to leave without saying good night. But Harry wasn't about to let her leave that easily.

"'Mione!" He shouted three times too loudly, as he stumbled towards her. "Wait, you forgot to give me my good night kiss."

Harry pushed Hermione against the wall and forcefully kissed her. Hermione was taken aback, and tried to push Harry away as quickly as possible. But no luck, the damn Quidditch seeker was too strong. She began to panic, and kept struggling to get out of Harry's tight embrace. Harry began unbuttoning his pants, and Hermione took the opportunity to kick him where it hurts the most (Ha!). Harry fell to the floor, howling, and Hermione stormed out of the common room near tears. She ran all the way back to the Head's common room, hating that her supposed best friend tried to take advantage of her. She had just made up with her friends, and now, after what happened, they definitely weren't going to be on speaking terms. No doubt Ron is going to take Harry's side.

Hermione plopped down onto the large, inviting sofa attempting to drown her thoughts. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths trying to hold in her tears. She felt someone sit down beside her, and before she even opened her eyes, she knew who it was.

"Bad night?"

"You have no idea." Hermione sniffled, and tears silently rolled down her cheeks.

Draco pulled her into a hug, and wordlessly, stroked her soft brown hair. Hermione rested her head on Draco's shoulder, and closed her eyes. She felt so safe in his arms that she felt like all her worries have disappeared; she never wanted to get up.

"Hermione," Draco said, after a long silence. "What happened tonight that made you this upset? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He added hesitantly.

There was no reply.

"Hermione?" Draco asked. "Hermio…?"

He noticed that she had fallen asleep, and was taking long and deep breaths. He chuckled quietly to himself, then covered her with a blanket, and pulled her close. He quietly whispered something into her ears.

"You're beautiful."

* * *

Looks like those rumors came true. Hope you liked this chapter…it took me forever. I had no idea what to write. 

Please REVIEW...I bet Draco and Hermione would appreciate it if you did. Lol.


	4. The Breakfast

This is a _really_ long chapter that took a _really_ long time to update. Sorry!

Thanks for all the reviews! I love you guys! )

**Chapter Four**

It was the break of dawn on a beautiful autumn day. If anyone were to look out the window at that exact time, they'd see a glistening sun slowly rising behind the lake and casting shadows of trees that were twenty feet long. The sun reflected a streak of light directly upon Hogwarts, comparable to a spotlight shining on its performers. Slowly within the castle, its occupants arose as the sunlight acted as a natural alarm clock. The light signified a brand, new day…a clean sheet…for some. But for others the early rising of the sun symbolized reality, no more darkness to cover-up their fears…

Hermione awoke gradually and at ease as she felt the shining sun warm her face. She felt someone breathing slowly lying next to her. The Head girl tentatively opened one eye, and saw that the "someone" was Draco. _Odd. _Unsure of what to do next, Hermione stayed in the same position, cuddled up in Draco's strong arm on the common room sofa. She contemplated what had happened the day before, which resulted in her ending up in the arms of an angel…_I mean...Malfoy. _

_Did I just call Malfoy an angel in my head! _

"Oh. My. Godiva." Hermione accidentally said out loud. She felt Draco stir next to her, but fell back asleep as quick as a Firebolt.

Hermione propped herself on her elbow, and examined the serene expression upon Draco's face; memories of last night came flooding back to her like a rewind button on a remote.

_Dinner. Gryffindor. Surprise. Booze. Party. Ron. Harry. Draco. Night._

The color drained from her face. She felt as if she was watching some cheesy chick-flick starring herself as the heroine who was traumatized, only to be saved by the masculine hero who holds her in his arms…and they live happily ever after.

_Yeah, right._

Hermione fell back onto the couch, snuggled at Draco's side. She felt so safe there, that she never wanted to get up. She attempted to fall back asleep even though the entire common room was bright with sunlight. She desperately wanted to continue her dream, even though she was too embarrassed to admit to herself.

Hermione was unsure of whether it was a dream or not, but she was sure that in the mist of her sleep, she had heard Draco call her beautiful quietly into her ear. The fact that she, the know-it-all, didn't know between fact and fiction, killed her on the inside.

_It had to be real, I heard him say it._

_Or I imagined him saying it._

_But if I imagined it, how can it sound so real?_

_That's true. It has got to be real._

Hermione continued to fight with herself inside her head, until she couldn't stand herself anymore. _What does it matter if he really did say it? It's not like he's in love with me. He was probably just complementing my facial features. Yup, that's it. _

With a heavy sigh, Hermione decided it would be best to get dressed and go to breakfast, without waking Draco. _He probably wouldn't even remember what happened last night. _

Hermione slowly unwrapped the tight blanket covering her body, and placed it aside. She lifted her left leg, and cautiously tried to place her leg on the other side of Draco, as if to rollover him without actually touching. Her foot slipped, as she almost managed to get off the sofa, which landed her right on top of Draco.

Draco grunted at the startling movement, and opened his eyes to find Hermione lying right on top of him.

"Hehe. Good Morning!" Hermione said, too enthusiastically. She smiled embarrassedly, and climbed off of Draco. _So much for subtle._

"Well, well… you should wake me up like that _every _morning." Draco smirked, as he sat up.

"Oh…Shut up! I was trying to go to breakfast without waking you up."

"Sorry, hun, but humping me will definitely wake me up."

Hermione glared at Draco, then silently strutted off to her room.

"Kidding! Jeez...don't have to give me _the eye._" Draco said, as he climbed off the sofa and joined Hermione in her journey to her bedroom. "Weren't you going down to breakfast?"

"Of course, but not dressed like this."

"You look great! Let's just go eat. I'm starved."

_He said I looked great! He said I looked great! _

Hermione fought to stifle a happy giggle, and raised an eyebrow at him. "Why don't you just go to breakfast without me? I don't have to follow you everywhere."

"Ha! Like I'm really going to walk all the way to the Great Hall all by myself. That's quite funny; I never knew you had a sense of humor."

Hermione grunted, and continued getting ready. She tried to do her best to ignore the annoying, yet gorgeous, git standing in her doorway.

"I seem to be in your doorway a lot more often lately. _Preparo!_" Draco said, holding his wand, and instantly, Hermione was dressed and ready. He held out his arm for Hermione to take. "Shall we, milady?"

Hermione let a small smile slip towards Draco, and wordlessly cursed herself for giving him an ego boost. She reluctantly took his arm, as he walked her all the way to breakfast.

As they entered the Great Hall together, Hermione was pleased to notice that no Gryffindor 7th years were there. _Hangovers. _She smirked, and decidedly sat at the Slytherin table, and feasted on the delicious meal in front of her, enjoying every second of the absence of the Gryffindors.

Draco watched as Hermione smothered her eggs in maple syrup, and ate it. "Eww… you just ate those scrambled eggs with syrup." He said as he made a gagging motion.

"What's wrong with that? It tastes _soo _good. Here try some." Hermione said as she forcefully jammed her fork inside his mouth.

Draco's expression changed from shocked to indifferent to shocked again. "That actually is quite good. Odd, but good." He said with a smile.

"I know."

Hermione was staring into his eyes, and vice versa. _O. M. G. We're sharing a "drown yourself in my eyes" clichéd moment._

"Ahem. Well, uhh...I best be getting ready for Hogsmeade now." Hermione said, breaking the "moment", and forgetting all about her breakfast. She rushed out of the Great Hall, and towards her dorm, but almost immediately veered another direction as she saw Ron and Harry turning the corner. She turned around to walk in the other direction, but bumped into Draco. "Uh...Hi…um...Well, uh...Gotta go."

Hermione took the longer route to her dorm, avoiding as many students as possible. "HERMIONE! Wait! Hermione!"

Hermione stopped walking and turned around, allowing Draco to catch up with her. "Who are you hiding from?" he asked. _Busted!_

"No one. Why do you think I'm hiding?"

"Well, why are you taking the long way to our dorm?"

"I'm just… taking a nature walk… around school." Hermione stuttered, and continued walking briskly to her dorm. She didn't take more than three steps before Draco grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"What happened at the party last night?" Draco asked, but he didn't get a response, since Hermione was suddenly fascinated by her shoes. "You can tell me anything, I promise I won't judge or tell anybody if you don't want me to."

Hermione looked directly into his eyes at these words. He pulled her into a hug, and whispered into her ear, "Trust me." She felt the familiar rush she felt the night before when she was sleeping. _It was real._

"Last night, at the party……" Hermione told Draco the whole story, and noted that his face changed from horrified, to more horrified. "..and that's what happened." Hermione finished.

Draco stayed quiet. He had no idea what to say, but he had an idea of what to do. He angrily clenched his fists, and stalked off to the Great Hall. Hermione looked nervous at his silence, and quickly followed him to see where he was going.

Hermione followed Draco all the way back to the Great Hall, where he went directly up to Harry and punched him smack in the face breaking his glasses. Harry felt to the floor wincing and cursing at the sudden attack.

"That'll show you, you filthy, self-obsessed son of a b—."

"Draco!" Hermione screamed, cutting him off. "You honestly shouldn't have done that! You're going to get into so much trouble."

"It's worth detention." Draco said, with a satisfied smile plastered on his face, as he watched Harry try to find his glasses.

At that exact moment, Professor McGonagall appeared, looking from the smirking Draco to the bleeding Harry to the frantic Hermione. "Mr. Malfoy! Please explain yourself, NOW!"

"Sorry, professor, but this _rodent_ provoked me." Draco said as he looked disgustedly at Harry. "I'm willing to accept whatever punishment you have in store for me."

"Well. In that case, you are to bring Potter to the Hospital Wing, and serve a week of detentions with Hagrid starting tonight. Not to mention, you are banned from today's trip to Hogsmeade." McGonagall stated sternly.

Hermione looked guiltily between Professor McGonagall and Draco, and couldn't let Draco get all the blame for everything. "Professor," Hermione said right as McGonagall was about to leave. "It was my entire fault, Draco was just defending me. Please, I'll do the detention."

Professor McGonagall looked at Hermione apprehensively. "In that case, you shall join Mr. Malfoy in his punishments." She said as she left the Great Hall, motioning for Draco to bring Harry to Madame Pomfrey. "Can you believe it! Head Boy and Head Girl in detention!" She muttered to herself.

Draco angrily grabbed Harry's foot, and dragged him out of the Great Hall and to the Hospital Wing. "Looks like we get to spend a week doing God knows what in the forbidden forest for detention. Fun" he said sarcastically.

"Why did you have to go and punch him? Couldn't you have just jinxed him, or something else that's more subtle?" Hermione questioned, trying to hide her satisfaction.

"I wanted to make a statement." Draco smirked, still dragging Harry by the foot despite the stares.

"mMallfoy! Let go ov my legg!" Harry said, as he fiercely tried to free himself. Draco let go of Harry, and stepped on his chest looking angrily down at him.

"Why did you do that to Hermione?"

"Wat arr you toking aboot! Do wat!" Harry managed to say, even though Malfoy's foot was cutting of his breathing.

"Draco. Just, just stop." Hermione said. She actually felt bad for her best friend. _He was just probably too drunk._

Draco removed his foot from Harry's chest reluctantly, and looked at Hermione as if waiting for her to tell him she was just kidding.

"'Mione," Harry said as he slowly got to his feet. "Whatever I did, I'm sorry. I was wasted last night, honestly."

Hermione avoided Harry's eyes, understanding that he really was apologetic, even though he didn't know why he was sorry. "Let's just forget it, and _never_ bring it up again." She said as she made her way to her dorm. She suddenly wished it wasn't so sunny outside, and longed for the dark.

"_Just eleven more hours, Hermione, eleven more hours. You can do it." _Hermione reassured herself inside her head, as she power walked to her dorm, where she planned to hide under her bed sheets until the sun went down.

* * *

Kind of slow paced, I know. Next chapter shall be interesting, with the detention, and all. Review! 


	5. The Dance

Thanks for the reviews!

**F.Y.I**. Most words in **bold** are song lyrics.

Now, Back to the story…

**Chapter Five**

Hermione was sitting right by her window watching the sun go down. Another day gone, another day to come. The brightness of the sun was beginning to make her eyes water, but she just couldn't take her eyes off of it. It reminded her of Draco. Despite the fact that she knew she couldn't be with him, with their backgrounds and everything, she still couldn't stop thinking about him. She'd fallen for him, and the fact that she couldn't admit it aloud made her scared. To her, Draco was a problem that couldn't be solved, unlike any tough Arithmancy problem.

She shook out of her thoughts as she realized her room was completely dark. The sun had completely disappeared behind the mountains, and replaced by the glowing moon. Hermione sighed and checked the time.

"_8:30. Time for detention."_

Hermione took heavy steps toward the Head's common room. She _felt _heavy, not fat, but weighed down with _so_ many worries. "_Detention will get my mind off things for a while." _She thought hopefully.

_As if. Did she forget who she has detention **with**?_

Hermione saw Draco staring into the fire intently, as she descended the stairs. He hadn't even noticed she was there.

_Seems like everybody's brooding lately._

"Hey." She said quietly.

Draco jumped off his seat, clearly startled that he was no longer alone. "Oh…hi. Let's get to detention." He said, sounding quite distant.

"Is everything okay? You look kind of down." Hermione asked, looking worried.

"Oh, yeah. Everything's fine. So, what do you think we'll have to do tonight?" He asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I'm not sure, but knowing Hagrid, we'll probably take a trip into the Forbidden Forest for some odd task." She replied, still looking concernedly at Draco. _What's he hiding?_

As the couplet exited onto the school grounds, and headed towards Hagrid's hut, they both remained silent. It was an awkward silence filled with tension and uneasiness. Normally Draco was teasing her and whatnot, but he was so remote that it threw Hermione off a bit.

"There yeh kids are. Hurry up, now. We got lots o' work ter do." Hagrid said as he rushed them towards the Forbidden Forest.

"What exactly _are _we going to do in _there_?" Draco asked, rather rudely. He never really did like Hagrid, after the whole hippogriff incident. Hermione threw Draco a warning look.

"We're goin' ter search fer berries an' special types o' leaves fer Professor Sprout. She's bin buggin' me these pas' weeks ter get them fer her." Hagrid explained, as they stood at the edge of the forest. "Now, 'Mione, yer goin' ter find a bag o' grittle leaves, an' Malfoy'll find a bag o' cantaberries." He said as he handed them each a plastic zip lock bag. "When yer finish'd, jus' drop'em off on me doorstep. Alrigh', off yer go."

The two of them carried their lanterns and bag, and entered the dark forest, that was lacking moonlight. "Doesn't this remind you off first year detention?" Hermione asked quietly, as she walked closely by Draco's side.

"Yeah." Was his simple response, but nothing else. _Something… is seriously wrong._

They spent the next half hour in silence, picking for leaves and berries. It was so quiet that you could here them breathing and the rustle of leaves from the wind. Hermione's bag was ¾ full of grittle leaves, when she decided to question Draco again. She just couldn't stand the odd stillness.

"Draco," Hermione said with a begging tone. "Draco, please tell me what's wrong. You're beginning to worry me. Please."

Draco stopped his work and looked over at Hermione. She looked at him with such concern that he was touched. He tried to put on a comforting smile, as if to say, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

Hermione knew this all too well. "Don't you dare give me _that_ smile!" She said as she marched towards him. "Trust me; you'll feel better when you open up." She said as she took his hands in hers.

Draco looked down at Hermione. She was so beautiful he couldn't _not_ want to do as she pleased. "Fine," Draco sighed with a sense of defeat. "My mum, well…ahem, Mother isn't doing so well. Ever since Father got sent to Azkaban, my mum has been keeping to herself." Draco took a deep breath, like he had just run a mile. "It's just not right that she's locked up in an enormous mansion with no one there for her, except house elves. She's lonely, I know it, and earlier tonight, she wrote me a letter. She said… she said she was going to kill herself."

Hermione gasped, and pulled Draco closer.

Draco quickly added, "She's not _actually _going to do it. She _always _writes letters like these, hoping I would return home from school to comfort her. I never do, but I really can't stand it when she writes things like that. It…it scares me."

Hermione hugged Draco, hoping she could keep him safe, just like he had kept her safe the night before. "Maybe you should go visit her, and just comfort her." Hermione suggested.

"I haven't got the time. This is our seventh year, if I skip class, I might not graduate. Not to mention, I'm Head Boy. I promised her I'd visit every break, so I'm looking forward to Christmas."

Hermione didn't say anything, and Draco didn't either. It was silent again, except _this _silence was filled with T.L.C. (Tender Loving Care).

Hermione pulled out of the embrace. "Let's get back to work. It's already 9:15." Draco nodded, but he felt like he was in some sort of trance. He revealed his innermost fear to Hermione Granger, and he actually _did_ feel better having someone to talk to.

They worked until 10:00 and decided to just get to bed. After dropping off their bags on Hagrid's doorstep, they exhaustedly walked back to the castle, with the peaceful wind blowing at them.

"Six more detentions to go." Draco said with faked enthusiasm, as they entered their dorm.

"I can hardly wait." Said Hermione with the same sarcastic tone. "Oh, I forgot to thank you for standing up to Harry like that. It was really sweet."

Draco smiled at her and once again took his seat by the fire and stared into it. She slowly and quietly walked to his side, and held his hand.

"_When did I suddenly become this bold?" _Hermione wondered, as she pulled Draco out of his seat, surprising him. She played her favorite song on the loud speakers around the common room.

**Da Da Da Da Da Da  
Da Da Da Da Da Da**

She began slow dancing with Draco, and he didn't seem to mind one bit. The music was quietly playing in the background, and the lyrics fit into the situation perfectly. They were dancing so close; it seemed inevitable that they kissed.

**What just happened?  
Did you kiss me?  
Cause that's a place we've never been until now**

Hermione shuddered as his wet lips touched hers. He tasted so sweet, and all she wanted to do was kiss away the pain he was feeling inside.

**And I don't know how it's gonna be after this  
Do we pretend these feelings don't exist at all  
Or do we fall?**

Hermione felt his warm and soft hands brush through her hair, and reality hit, causing her to panic. _What am I doing? This is Draco "pureblood" Malfoy!_

**My confusion shows whenever you get so close  
I stumble, I stutter, forget what to say  
I'm nervous, I wonder why I'm acting this way**

Hermione pulled away almost immediately. She looked at Draco questioningly, and he looked back at her with the same expression.

**It's temporary insanity  
What's going on with you and me?  
Is it real or is it fantasy?  
Forever or just temporary?**

"What's wrong?" Draco asked, taking a step towards Hermione, whilst she took a step back.

**You made a moved and changed your mind  
Too much to lose, you've crossed the line between friends  
And something more**

Draco was listening to the song, and after hearing that verse, his expression was filled with comprehension. His expression suddenly changed once more, and Hermione couldn't quite place what it was.

**Was it all a big mistake?  
And if it was, it's much too late to undo  
And I don't really want to**

Hermione had been quiet the whole, entire time, and knew it was her turn to speak. _Tell him how you feel! _"I've got to get to bed. Good night." She said, and turned to leave. _Why didn't I just tell him!_

**Let you go but I still don't know  
How I feel about you  
What this really means  
It's crazy to want you  
Is it meant to be?**

"Wait!" she heard Draco exclaim. She stopped walking, closed her eyes and turned around, slowly re-opening her eyes.

**It's temporary insanity  
What's going on with you and me?  
Is it real or is it fantasy?  
Forever or just temporary?**

Draco went up to her, holding her in his arms. "You were there for me tonight, when no one else was. Guess those rumors were true, because I _really _like you, 'Mione."

**Oh, what you do to me?  
What comes over me, oh?  
If this is crazy there's nothing I'd rather be**

Hermione smiled as she heard him use her nickname. She didn't need to say anything because her kiss for him said all the unsaid.

**Losing my mind  
Losing my mind  
Losing my mind**

Hermione kissed Draco, for everything. For his mum, for her fears, for his pain, for her worries, but mainly for their love, or more likely, their "like". As the music in the background slowed, they continued where they left off in their dance.

**Da Da Da Da Da Da  
Da Da Da Da Da Da**

* * *

I was wondering if I could fit in one more chapter before I go on vacation, but I realized I had no clue what to write. **Suggestions**, anyone?

**REVIEW!** or you'll probably have to wait a**week** for an update. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I surely did. It's my favorite one so far.

You should really download "**Temporary Insanity**" by **Alexz Johnson**, and listen to it while reading _that_ part. For all you **Instant Star** fans out there, it's one of my favorite shows, I adore **Alexz Johnson**!


	6. The Assface

**Hello**! Okay, I know I said I **wouldn't** update for a week, but because I'm so awesome, I decided to squeeze in a **chapter** before I went on **vacation**. Yes, yes hold your applause, because I have this feeling your going to **hate** me after this chapter.

**Chapter Six**

"I win!" Draco said, as he entered the Slytherin common room. It was still early in the morning, and not many students were up. But Blaise Zabini was an early riser, and Draco knew it. He immediately noticed Blaise sitting in the corner of the Slytherin common room reading the Daily Prophet, and stuffing his mouth with toast. "I win!" Draco repeated with a huge smirk on his face.

Blaise was startled to see his best friend storm into the common room at such early hours. "What did you win? An alarm clock?" Blaise replied, spitting food all over the table and looking at Draco curiously. "I've honestly never see you up before 8:00 on the weekend."

"Well, I'm up early because I've got news."

"Yes, that's obvious. So, what did you win?"

"The bet, you moron!" Draco said, looking at Blaise as if he was the stupidest thing in the world. "Remember? You promised me 32 galleons plus your shoes if I got Hermi---uh---the Mudblood to fall for me."

"Oh yeah! Right." Blaise replied, suddenly remembering the whole situation. "What about the bet?"

"I won, you ignorant pig!" Draco was slightly annoyed at his friend for being so clueless.

"Yes, I heard, but I want details mate!" Blaise said as he spread marmalade on his toast.

"She's fallen for me, hard." Draco said with a sneer. "I knew my charismatic personality was good for something."

"Hmm." Blaise said as he loudly munched on his toast. He found Draco's cockiness to be quiet irritating, and wanted to drown out the noise.

"It was so simple, too. I did the whole "I'm so weak and lonely, and because I'm so manly, I'm not afraid to admit" act and she totally bought it. Winning that girl's heart is too easy. All I did was show I was sensitive, but also secure with my manhood, and snap she's as good as mine." Draco said with a pompous smirk, as Blaise rolled his eyes subtly. Blaise knew that Draco had a tendency to exaggerate things to the point where it's a lie.

"Congrats! So, here are my shoes, and I'll pay you later." Blaise said monotonously, as he pulled off his shoes and tossed them towards Draco, and finished off his toast.

"Thanks, mate. You don't actually have to pay me. Do _I_ honestly look like _I_ need the money?"

Blaise watched Draco, his best friend of 5 years, and wondered how the insensitive jerk could even get girls to look at him. Sure he was handsome, but he's an arrogant asshole. Yet there were always girls hanging on to him everywhere he went.

Draco carried his newly won shoes and turned towards the exit, yelling one last sarcastic comment before leaving. "Better go wake up my _sweetheart_."

-:-

Hermione awoke on the couch feeling...alone. _Where's Draco? _

At the thought of Draco, Hermione was reminded of night before. She was a hopeless romantic, and last night was just so sweet and romantic. They had danced the night away, literally, and fell asleep on the large Head's couch in each other's arms. _Awwwww! _Hermione sighed dreamily. She hadn't really opened her heart to anybody after the messy break-up with Viktor Krum, but she knew Draco was different. She was about to get up and look for him until she saw him walk through the common room entrance.

"Morning sleepy!" Draco said with a million-dollar smile when he noticed she'd awaken.

Hermione smiled and watched her beautiful blonde beau (Haha, three B's) walk towards her and kiss her forehead. "Where were you?"

"I brought you breakfast." He said lifting his hand to show her the toast and eggs. Hermione gladly took the food and wondered if they should talk about last night, but decided against it when she noticed he took his fireplace seat and was in deep thought about something. She looked at him with concern, lust, and happiness all mixed in one.

"_Why is Granger looking at me like that? Why did I bring her breakfast? Why am I still here with her when I've already won the bet? Why didn't Blaise look shocked when I won the bet? Why do I purposefully act like a jackass around Blaise? Why can't I just admit I like her to Blaise, but I can admit to her I like her? Why am I not making any sense? Why? Why? Why? Why?" _

"Draco! Draco? Hello? Anybody there?" Hermione was waving her hand in front of Draco's face trying to get his attention, but he still had the same struggling look on his face. Hermione gave him a light smack on the back of his head, breaking Draco out of his trance.

"What!" Draco exclaimed, startled by the interruption of his innermost thoughts.

"Well, uh, you had this scrunched up constipated look." Hermione said with a smile that was hiding a giggle.

"Thanks, I'm flattered. It's so endearing to be called constipated" Draco said sarcastically and quite rudely I might add. Hermione knew something was definitely wrong, because he only spoke like that when he was in an extremely irritated state.

"What is it?" Hermione questioned.

"What is what?" he replied in the same sarcastic and rude tone. Hermione just looked at him, willing him to tell her. "I'm just…worried about my mum, but don't worry about me." He said as he leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. Hermione looked at him disbelievingly, but continued to eat her breakfast anyways.

"I'm going to get dressed." Hermione said suddenly, wanting to look nice for Draco, and walked towards her dorm. "Wait here for me; I'll be down in half an hour."

"Alright, I think I'm going to get some reading. Just come down when you're ready." Draco replied with a smile. _She's so adorable, with her spontaneous actions_

Draco picked up a nearby book, pretending to read it, but really, he was thinking about Hermione. Last night, Draco _was_ telling the truth. He really did like her, but what would his friends think of him if they found out that he liked a mudblood? Draco shuddered at the thought, and tried to read the book in front of him.

Just as he read the first sentence, he heard a loud pounding on the common room door, and a couple of guys yelling out his name. He opened the door to find Zabini, followed by Crabbe, Goyle, Warrington, and Flint. _Ahh. My posse. _

"Is it true, Draco?" asked Goyle, hurriedly. "Blaise told us that you actually kissed the mudblood."

"Did you really get her to fall for you?" Warrington asked, incredulously.

"Yes, I did." Draco replied gloriously. Despite how much mellower and better he's become over the years, he still loves attention.

"How did you do it?" asked Crabbe with a look of stupor on is face.

"Well, it was quite easy." Draco said with a knowing smirk. "The rumors about us the past week helped the situation entirely. I used them as an excuse to talk to her showing her my quote-unquote sensitive side. I also put my mother into play. Nothing like a bit of pity to have her crawling at my feet. And add a bit of charm, and she's in love with me."

Draco felt a twinge of guilt saying all those insensitive words about Hermione, especially since they were all lies, but quickly forgot about it when he saw the looks of awe in his friends' eyes. He always regretted his amazing ability to lie, to impress his friends, but he couldn't help but add "That mudblood is easier than a whore."

Blaise's expression quickly changed, and he looked nervously at Draco, and then somewhat apologetic.

"Is that what you really think?" said a chilled voice behind him.

Draco turned around to see Hermione silently crying at the top steps of the staircase, looking at him with so much hatred and hurt that he could feel it exuding off her.

_Shit._

* * *

Okay, I know chapter 5 was like the fluffiest cloud in the sky, but keep in mind that the title of the story is **Tough **Love.

Anyways…thanks for the reviews! Have I told you lately…that I love you! Haha… alright keep it up, and I'll try to add some fluff to the story. If that's what you want…

Oh…btw…I was wondering if you guys wanted me to title the chapters, because I'm not sure if I should…does it really matter? **REVIEW!** Please tell me what I should work on, what I should stop working on, what I should change, etc... Merci beaucoup!


	7. The Tears

I know I edited this like a thousand times, sorry. I have some serious OCD issues.

**Chapter Seven**

Hermione locked herself in her room, bursting into a new set of tears. She hated him. She hated him so much. She hated him with a passion. It was the first time in months, no, years that she's been able to open her heart and put her guard down. And the moment she's unguarded, she's stabbed…right in the heart.

She had nobody. She _needed _somebody to talk to, or at least to comfort her.

She thought about her three closest friends, but Harry could hardly be considered someone Hermione would open up to at the moment, Ron had the attention span of a hippopotamus, and Ginny wasn't exactly the most comforting with advice due to her bluntness.

The one person she thought she had, and trusted, turned out to be a bet. A huge lie.

With these thoughts, Hermione began to sob even harder.

Her throat ached from the tears. Her face burned with the tears. Her eyes became sore from the tears. She cried all by herself, sitting with her back against her bedroom door. She bawled until she ran out of tears.

The sudden lack of tears brought her back to reality.

_I am a Gryffindor. _

Gryffindors are supposedly known for their courage, strength, and loyalty, but after the incident with Draco, Hermione realized she lost all those characteristics. She lost her **courage**. Here she was crying her eyes out in her locked dorm room, and unable to gather up the nerve to face her friends. She lacked **strength**. Despite her past experiences, she was no longer brave or strong enough to stand up to Malfoy. She didn't even want to think of **loyalty**. She knew she had practically traded in her closest friends for a Slytherin. Hermione had honestly never felt so ashamed of herself in her seventeen years of living, and didn't plan on living the same miserable way forever.

With all the strength she could muster, Hermione stood up abruptly with determination. She was determined to get her old life back. She wanted nothing to do with Dra---Malf---Ferret. With that in mind, she purposefully strode to her bathroom, and turned on the shower, and washed all the remnants of the weak and dependent Hermione down the drain, with everything else unwanted.

-:-

Draco had been standing outside Hermione's room with his ear to her door, listening to her cry. He couldn't breathe. He messed up big time, and he knew it. He had desperately wanted to break down the door standing between them as he heard the continuous sniffles. He wanted to hold her and apologize profusely and hope that she would forgive him, and they could just restart. But he knew. He knew it would never be that easy. _Nothing_ is ever easy.

Draco nervously thought back about what had happened. _My friends came over and Hermione had heard me boasting about the bet. They all left at the sight of Granger, and left me to deal with the effects. Some friends. _

He was so angry with his stupidity. Hermione would never forgive him.

All his thoughts were forgotten as he heard Hermione move towards her bathroom and then proceed to turn on the shower. Showering was never a good sign. _Why is she showering? Is she cleansing herself of me or something?_

Draco knew something was up, so he planned on camping himself outside Hermione's room, until she came out. He was determined to explain everything to her so they could kiss and make up. When he saw her bedroom door slowly creak open, he was totally prepared to win her back.

That is, until he saw _her_. Hermione's hair was tied half up and some curls fell to frame her face. She was wearing a slight hint of make-up and a simple shirt and jeans that hugged her curves. She looked effortlessly beautiful. Draco was speechless. The long explanation he had been practicing was completely forgotten. Hermione coldly glared at him, but suddenly smiled an evil smile to match her eyes. She brushed by him purposefully and said a quick "Hey" before descending the stairs.

Draco was completely taken aback. _She was acting like nothing had happened. _

As Hermione neared the common room exit, she heard Draco cry out to her. A smirk crept onto her face as she noticed her plan working.

"Hermione! Wait!" Draco yelled as he ran down the stairs after her. He was shocked that she actually stopped and turned to face him, but what she said threw him off a bit.

"For what?" she asked rudely.

"I have to explain something to you."

"I already heard all your "explaining" earlier, so if you don't mind I'd like to catch up with my friends." She said icily, but with a hint of innocence to piss him off.

"Just let me explain." Draco said with desperation and frustration in his eyes and words.

Hermione found this new side of him unnerving, causing the smirk to leave her face. Just an hour ago, he was anything but desperate. He was a cocky and arrogant ass. Despite those facts, she couldn't help but to want to stay and hear him out.

Malfoy noticed that Hermione was watching him, eager for him to continue, so he began his little speech, nervously. "Hermione, I--- I never meant to hurt you like that. I—"

"Then why did you?" Hermione interrupted with so much bitterness it sent shivers down Draco's spine.

"It was Blaise's stupid bet. You know I never turn down a dare or a bet." He said with an attempt of humor, but Hermione didn't look at all amused. "Well Blaise promised me 32 Galleons and his shoes if I was able to make you fall for me, but I ended up really liking you in the process. I know the bet was really crude, but after I won it, I thought it would just pass and we could still be together. I wasn't lying that night I told you that I like you." Draco finished quietly.

Hermione's eyes softened at the last sentence, but hardened as remembered she was talking to the same ass who had called her easy. "Too bad" she replied with a smirk.

"What's too bad?" Draco asked confusedly.

"Too bad you didn't win your bet." Hermione said as she turned away from him, hoping her eyes wouldn't give away her lies.

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked, creasing his eyebrows.

"I _never_ fell for you. I don't even _like_ you." Hermione said, her voice quivering a bit. "You shouldn't flatter yourself." She added with confidence, as she left the common room. She had just lied to his face, and judging by Malfoy's reaction, he had believed her. She was glad that she had regained her strength to piss Malfoy off again, because she had to keep it up if she wanted to get over the git. She strode to the Gryffindor common room with her head held high, and ready to make amends with Harry and Ron, and leave the past behind.

But the past didn't want to stay behind. Draco wasn't planning on giving up that easily. When did he ever? He didn't even know why he needed her so badly, but he knew that he needed her. He felt a happiness that couldn't be explained whenever she was around.

"_We have detention every night this week, and that ought to be more than enough time to win her back." _He thought happily.

Draco Malfoy always knows exactly what he wants, and he always manages to get whatever it is. This time shouldn't be any different

_Should it?_

-:-

I'm **back**! Sorry for leaving you guys hanging at the most **climatic** chapter ever, and then leaving you with this **transition** chapter. I really wanted to capture the Hermione's and Draco's **emotions**, and I didn't want the story to suddenly move on too **quickly**, so this chapter slows the **story** down a bit while moving it forward. Know what I mean? I know I'm totally **psycho**.

I have this gut feeling that you **hate** Hermione right now. Am I right?

**REVIEW!**


	8. The Tangles

Presenting to you…The Longest Chapter Ever! Enjoy!

**Chapter Eight**

Hermione sat in the vast Gryffindor common room, empty, except for them three. She missed this. _This_. Just the three of them hanging out and breaking rules. She laughed out loud as memories of the past years in Hogwarts came rushing through her head.

"What's so funny?" Ron asked, breaking into Hermione's thoughts, annoyed that she had broken _his_ train of thought in wizard's chess.

"Nothing." Hermione replied with a slightly dazed expression. She had spent the entire day with her two best friends, not even giving the slightest thought about Draco _who_? Well, technically, she wasn't thinking about him because she was talking about him the entire time. She had confessed to Harry and Ron about everything. Though she had never planned to, her friends knew something was wrong by the sullen expression she was wearing. It took Hermione a lot of courage to even admit to everything that happened with Draco because saying it out loud made it even harder to face. Harry and Ron were furious, and by the time she finished telling them the entire story. They simultaneously jumped off their armchair and headed toward the Slytherin common room. Well, she stopped them before they did anything too irrational. _Too bad._

As Hermione watched Ron checkmate Harry, she felt at home. She missed the familiar rush to smack them across the head and yell at them for not doing their Transfiguration homework, or reprimand them for not studying for their Potion's exam. She smiled as she watched Harry accuse Ron of cheating, and vice versa.

"Harry, why would I cheat!" Ron exclaimed "I've been winning wizard's chess since we began playing first year."

"I just know you did." Harry said confidently, then proceeding to give Hermione a look that said tell-Ron-he-cheated. "Here, ask 'Mione."

Hermione looked hesitantly between the two of them, and nervously replied, "How about we go to dinner? I'm starved."

They reluctantly agreed at the mention of food, and the two boys started towards the common room entrance, forgetting all about wizard's chess, and eager to eat. _Boys will be boys. _

-:-

Draco Malfoy was sitting in the Great Hall, silently and slowly eating his dinner. He looked over at the Gryffindor table every two seconds looking for Hermione. He hadn't seen her since this morning's mishap, and was hoping to get to talk to her after dinner, but it was nearly 7:30 and she hadn't even gone to dinner yet. Draco depressingly cut up his chicken, well; he was technically stabbing it with his fork. But no matter, because at that moment, Hermione entered the Great Hall with Harry and Ron at her side. She was laughing at a joke that Ron had told, and Draco's face fell at the smiling face.

"_She seems happy to have ridden of me." _Draco thought cynically.

He began eating his dinner as fast as possible. He didn't want to sit there and watch Hermione have fun with her two skunk-faced immature friends.

_Like calling someone skunk-faced makes him mature?_

Hermione quickly glanced over at the Slytherin table, out of habit and curiosity, to see if Ferret Face was there, but quietly cursed herself as she met Draco's eyes, for they were boring into hers.

"What's wrong 'Mione?" Ron asked as he stuffed a biscuit and a block of butter into his mouth, all at once.

Hermione wasn't in the mood to discuss Malfoy, so she just stared at Ron with a look of disgust. "Ron, couldn't you just have spread the butter on the biscuit instead of swallowing them both whole?"

Ron made a huge gulping sound like he'd just swallowed a tank of water. "What's the point? All food ends in the same place. In the same way"

Hermione gave a Ron a look that read thanks-for-the-visual. She had suddenly lost her appetite after hearing Ron's little comment. She waited with Harry and Ron to finish their dinner, and tried her best to ignore the two eyes from the Slytherin table that was watching her every move. She wasn't the only one who noticed the staring eyes. Harry had also noticed.

"Hey 'Mione, _he's _looking at you." Harry said observantly with anger clear in his voice.

"Um-hm" Hermione replied, her face turning red. She didn't want to look up.

"Is he making you uncomfortable? Because I could just hex him right now. If you want me to, that is." Harry said giddily, as he reached for his wand in the pocket of his robes.

"Put your wand away!" she scolded. "Do you _want_ to join us in detention tonight?"

Harry lowered his wand and went back to his dinner, a bit defeated.

-:-

As dinner ended, exhausted students began to head back to their rooms to rest. Harry, Hermione, and Ron exited the Great Hall, careful to avoid Malfoy. The Golden Trio once again walked the corridors to the Gryffindor common room like before.

It was already late, and Hermione suddenly remembered her detention that night. She took at deep breath at the thought, and said her good-byes to Harry and Ron before changing directions, and walking towards Hagrid's Hut as slowly as possible.

When she had finally arrived at Hagrid's, she realized Draco wasn't even there yet. _Dolt. _She headed towards the Dark Forest and began picking for the leaves without him. _The faster I start, the sooner I finish, so I don't have to see that insufferable, snot-nosed idiot._

She was gathering leaves at such a fast pace, that she had already filled up half the bag within ten minutes. She had a new technique of quickening her leaf-picking. It was simple, yet satisfying. Hermione had so much anger towards Draco that she decided to release it in a healthy and nonviolent way. She simply pretended the bag was Draco's open mouth, and the leaves were slugs. She kept picking the leaves/slugs and shoving into his filthy mouth, err… bag. It was quite successful, seeing as she was almost done, and Draco hadn't even arrived yet.

Just as she finished stuffing her bag with leaves, she heard a rustle behind a tall tree next to her, causing her to drop her bag of leaves. She jumped at the sound, and pulled out her wand, her heart rate increasing. She slowly began backing away from the tree as she heard someone breathing heavily come near her. Her heart was pounding so fast and loud, she could almost hear it thumping. The forest was too dark for her to see anything, and she was trying to not trip over a tree root, as she backed away from the… _person/thing._

"_Lumos." _Hermione whispered with obvious fear in her voice, as her wand tip lighted, revealing the figure in front of her. She screamed excruciating loud as she noticed that she was in fact face to face with, none other then, Draco Malfoy.

Draco rubbed his ear hoping he didn't suddenly become deaf. "Geez, Hermione, calm down."

Hermione was ruffled and annoyed and pissed off and the list goes on. "Don't you dare tell me to calm down." She seethed with anger. "Why in _hell_ are you sneaking around in the forest? Do you think it's funny to scare the living daylights out of me?"

Draco bit his tongue hoping he wouldn't laugh. He knew laughing would tick Hermione off even more. "No, it wasn't funny…well, just a little bit."

Hermione smacked him hard across his forearm. _So much for handling my anger in a healthy and nonviolent way._

"Oww. 'Mione that hurt." He said, rubbing his arm.

"Good... I hope it swells." Hermione said while she turned to leave.

"Wait! 'Mione, I'm sorry. I know I've said it before, but I won't stop apologizing until you forgive me."

Hermione stopped walking and turned to face him. She could see him clearly, for they were standing under the moonlight. The sad smile on his face almost made Hermione give into him, but she knew she couldn't forgive him _that_ easily. So she scoffed loudly at his pathetic comment. "You could apologize all you want, I, frankly, don't care. Words are easy to say, but meaning them is the part you don't seem to understand."

Draco looked at Hermione disbelievingly. He grabbed her arm, and pulled her into a hug. Hermione was startled by this movement, and after moments of dawning comprehension, she began to kick and shove him off her with all her effort, but he wasn't budging. _Damn Quidditch Seeker. _"Geroff me, you perverted, pathetic sorry excuse for a wizard."

Draco unexpectedly pulled Hermione away into arm's length, and looked at her. She stopped kicking and screaming at him once she noticed that he had let go of her. They were standing two feet apart, and their eyes were locked. Her sweet light brown eyes softened as she noticed that the usual storm in his steel grey eyes had lightened. There was no longer a raging storm in his eyes, but a light sprinkle of rain.

Hermione couldn't stand that he could be so sweet when she was trying to be mad at him. She turned from him before her emotions began to show in her translucent eyes, but she felt a light pull at her waist. It gave her goose bumps as she felt both his hands placed on both sides of her waist, willing her to face him. She didn't push him away, nor did she pull him in. She ignored him completely and looked at her shoes.

"Hermione," Draco said in a soft and vulnerable voice that he didn't even know existed in him. "I honestly do mean that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for ever even letting those words come out of my mouth. I'm sorry for hurting you, so badly. I'm sorry for everything. I'm just...so, so sorry. I need you 'Mione. I haven't seen you for a few hours, and I'm already dying to be with you. I'm truly sorry. I want you. I _need_ you."

Hermione had been silently crying. Hot tears warmed her face on the cool autumn night, and she curiously looked up into his eyes. He wasn't crying, but she could definitely see the hurt. She watched as he lowered his lips lower and lower, hoping to match hers. They were centimeters apart, and then she snapped.

Hermione pulled away from him; desperately trying to dry her tears as new ones came falling. "What are you doing!" she said spitefully as her face was positively stained with wet tears.

Draco opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. None. His throat was dry.

"I _know_ what you're doing. You're putting on another pathetic act, and I'm not falling for it this time. How could _you_ possibly want _me_! Do you remember who _you_ are! Do you remember who _I_ am! We are socially unfit to even be within a ten foot radius from each other. You and I are opposites. Polar opposites." She stopped to wipe the incessant tears from her face, not even feeling them fall. "We could never be together. Even if we liked each other the slightest bit…… We were only together for one night…… and look how great that turned out." Hermione took in a deep breath of the forest pine air. The tears had stopped coming, and she was regaining some strength she had temporarily lost. Then, she said in the most spiteful and bitter voice she could muster. "_We _can _never _be. No matter how _sorry _you are. _Never."_

With that, she walked away from him. She could tell by his eyes that he was near tears, but the look on his face was worse than if he actually cried. She didn't care. She was giving him a taste of his own medicine, and left him to watch her go, like she had many times before. But this time was different. This time, she left a mutual understanding that Draco and her shall never be more than friends, or friends at all, for that matter. It was closure for Hermione, and she was relieved.

_An open end always leaves messy tangles, and with a closed knot, there'll be no tangles to deal with. _

Anymore, that is.

-:-

Okay. Like it? If you don't, be nice and lie to me, kay? Just **Review! **For some reason I can't put in a ruler. Help!

Btw…I wrote a one-shot called Nobody There. So...check that out.

Thank you for the reviews! **Phantom of a Rose, bethygirl94, sweetlyevil, sasmith, Queen of Serpents, shortperson, felicitousmomento, GalaxyStorme, and many others who reviewed for other chapters. **


	9. The Letter

I lied...This is the LONGEST chapter ever!

**Chapter Nine**

It was early in the morning, and Hermione laid in the comfort of her plush bed wide awake. She had been up for a couple of hours, but she didn't have the strength to wake up completely. She squinted her eyes and gasped as she was suddenly hit with bright sunlight in her dark room.

"Wake up."

Hermione slowly opened her eyes, trying to become accustomed to the shining sunbeams. She saw someone standing by her bed with their hands at their waist looking a tad impatient. It was Ginny._ Oh._

_Who was I expecting anyways?_

"Good morning, Gin." Hermione said, slowly sitting up with all the strength she could muster. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to ensure that you keep healthy and vibrating at a high frequency." Ginny said briskly, but with concern at the same time.

"What?"

"I know about your "Malffairs". Harry told me."

"My what?"

"Malffairs." Ginny repeated, as if she was talking about the weather. "Malfoy affairs."

"Oh my Godiva, Ginny." Hermione whined, falling back into her pillows. "It's too early to talk about _that._

"Well, then. We don't have to talk about _him_. Anyways, I'm trying to make you happier because it's obvious that you're _completely_ lonely and miserable."

_There's that Ginny bluntness._

"Thanks Gin. I feel much better now." Hermione said sarcastically as she got out of bed, steering clear of Ginny.

"Good. The happier you are, the higher chance of you attracting happy people instead of vulgar-Malfoy types." Ginny replied, oblivious to the sarcasm.

Hermione gave a single glance at Ginny's eager-to-help face, and immediately knew that she had to get rid of her. She couldn't handle Ginny at the moment. "Ginny," She said sweetly. "Why don't you go to the Great Hall, and I'll meet you there for breakfast. We can talk then."

"Sure. Of course." Ginny said as she started towards the exit. "But remember, 'Stay optimistic, and today will be the start of a process that will get you back onto the roadmap'."

And with that, Ginny left. Hermione sighed exhaustedly. _Why is Ginny feeding her therapy crap!_

Trying her best to ignore her weird wake-up call, Hermione got dressed and headed toward the common room. As she walked out her door, she bumped into Draco. Hermione sucked in a deep breath when she saw him. He had large, dark bags beneath his eyes, and his clothes were all ruffled. The two of them just stood there awkwardly, before Hermione quickly rushed past him, blushing, and mumbled a quick 'Mornin.'

_Awkward Meeting #1._

Sighing, yet again, Hermione made her way to the Great Hall, not hungry at all. Ginny was no where to be seen. _Whew_. Hermione took her seat next to Ron, and then proceeded to give Harry a sharp kick on the leg under the table.

"OWW!" Harry yelled. "Why'd you do that!"

"Why'd you tell Ginny about…you know? She's driving me crazy."

"I didn't. Well, I did, but I thought she already knew."

Hermione just glared intensely at Harry before letting it go. She was far too distracted by a saturnine Draco walking into the Great Hall sluggishly. She quickly glanced away, as she noticed him turn her way. Without eating a drop of food, Hermione walked out of the Great Hall. She couldn't take the tension anymore. She felt like the knot at the end of her string that was keeping everything tied together perfectly was loose. Despite the closure, she still felt a brick inside weighing her down whenever Draco entered the same room as her.

With thoughts crowding through her head, Hermione ran to the one place she found peace.

_The library._

She didn't have Transfiguration for another hour, so she slowly opened the library door, revealing towers of books. She took a deep whiff of the library scent, causing a huge grin to come across her face. It was like her drug. The cure for everything.

She hurriedly grabbed a nearby book, not even glancing at the title, plopped down on the cozy armchair, and began reading.

Almost and hour had passed, and Hermione closed her book, as continuous tears fell from her eyes. _This story is just too sad. _She was officially depressed.

"Are you alright?"

Hermione looked up, and her face hardened. It was Draco. How long had he been there? "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just…sad story, you know."

"Yeah." He replied quietly. He was watching her intently, and Hermione felt extremely self-conscious being eyed, while she was a big sobbing mess.

_Awkward Meeting #2._

"Well, I gotta get to class. Erm…see you later." Hermione said, rushing off towards Transfiguration.

She in fact did see him later, for Transfiguration was with Slytherin that day.

-:-

As Hermione entered the empty Transfiguration classroom, she realized she was five minutes early to class. Professor McGonagall was sitting behind her desk grading some assignment, and didn't pay much attention to the Head Girl. Hermione took the opportunity to get a good seat for class. She loved sitting in the front of the classroom. It made it easier for her to take notes and listen to the lecture. She excitedly rushed to a seat in the front-center row of the class. The moment she took her seat, she turned to see Draco enter the class. _Uh-Oh. _He was walking alone, and looking at his feet, not strutting with his head held high with arrogance. _This is different. _Draco took a seat near Hermione in the second row. She tensed up, but as she heard the bell ring, and the mounds of students piling into the classroom, she exhaled a sigh of relief.

Harry and Ron took a seat on either side of her, making sure Draco saw the intense glare they both threw at him.

"Hermione, where were you after lunch? I didn--- why are your eyes all red and blotchy? Were you crying?" Ron asked with concern.

"Oh…it's nothing, really. It was this book I was reading. Such a tearjerker. So anyways…" Hermione said, quickly changing the subject. "I think we should hang out by the lake later."

"Yeah. Transfiguration is our only class today." Harry replied with a content smile on his face. "Plus, I want to spend as much time outside before it gets too cold to leave the castle."

Hermione and Ron happily agreed. Hermione needed as many activities possible to keep her mind off…you-know-who, and her daily life back to normal. She genuinely smiled at her friends, not even noticing the pissed-off Draco sitting behind her. Well, she noticed, but chose to ignore him.

"Good morning, class." McGonagall said loudly, catching every student's attention. "Today we will be attempting to change a frog into a picture frame. It shouldn't be a challenge to some of you." She said while looking at Hermione. "But most of you will have some trouble with making the picture frame proportional." She said while looking over at Crabbe and Goyle.

_Dolts._

"So, does anyone here know the spell for this?" McGonagall inquired, looking eagerly throughout the classroom. Obviously, Hermione's hand shot up into the air before anyone could look it up. "Yes, Miss Granger."

"The spell used to change a frog into a pic—." Hermione was interrupted by a loud slam of the classroom window. Suddenly, a large owl carrying a letter flew through and headed directly towards Hermione. Following her instincts, she ducked just in time so that the owl just missed the top of her head. The entire class was lively with the large commotion, and began bickering loudly. Hermione slowly rose up from under her table, and picked up the letter left on her desk. It had the Ministry of Magic seal on it, except it wasn't addressed to her, but to… "Malfoy."

"What?" Draco replied, startled that Hermione just said his name.

"This letter's for you, not me." She replied, careful not to meet his eyes. She handed it to him, and pretended to return to writing her non-existent notes. She heard him rip open the letter urgently, and draw in breath. _What did the damn letter say? Why's the Ministry contacting him? Why--?_

Hermione's thoughts were interrupted by McGonagall's angry voice trying to make the owl return to the owlery, and quiet the class at the same time.

Hermione got up, and felt it as her duty as Head Girl to assist the teacher. She took the owl from McGonagall, and put it out the window, where it flew away peacefully. "Thank you, Miss Granger." She smile sincerely, then turned to the class and screamed. "SILENCE! What makes you think you can act like children just because an owl flew in here?"

McGonagall was interrupted in her angry rant by Draco, who abruptly stood up and walked towards her. Hermione couldn't read his expressionless face, but knew that something was definitely wrong. Draco whispered something into McGonagall's ear, and handed her the letter. After a deathly silence in the classroom, McGonagall led Draco out of the classroom. The moment the two of them had left the classroom, the entire class continued their conversations they had been interrupted from a second ago. Hermione would have scolded the class, if her mind wasn't so preoccupied with Mr. You-Know-Who. She hadn't even noticed the worried look Harry and Ron were giving her that became more and more concerned by the second.

-:-

The moment that class had ended, Hermione walked directly towards the library, forgetting all about her plans with Ron and Harry. She needed solitude. Fast. She quickly took her regular seat in the library and contemplated what the letter might have said. _Why do I honestly even care what it says? _

"Granger? I have to talk to you." Said a deep voice behind Hermione.

Hermione was startled by the sudden intrusion into her thoughts, and turned to see none other than Blaise Zabini. Ugh. Her thoughts immediately flashed to the bet. "What do you want?"

"I need your help." He said with a sincere tone, but as sincere as it could be for a Slytherin.

"Why would I want to help you?" Hermione glared at him icily.

"Well, it's not me you'd help, it's Draco."

Hermione stiffened at the sound of his name aloud. "I'd rather have a mermaid screech into my ear then help that intolerable, ignorant, arrogant, ferret-like dolt."

"I know you don't like him right now because of the—you know—but I know my friend, he honestly didn't mean a single word he said. Like you said, he _is _an intolerable, ignorant, arrogant, ferret-like dolt, but he's also got a great heart and you know it. So don't blame him for his behavior, blame me, and get over it. Holding grudges will always leave you feeling resentful towards everything. Just let it go, and give Draco another chance."

Hermione was unsure of how to respond, so she remained silent.

"Okay… well, back to the main subject. Something has happened to Draco. Something's…wrong. He's pissed drunk in your common room ranting about some letter. He won't talk to me and it's really quite scary to see him so out of character. I don't know what to do…"

Hermione let the worried expression wash over her face, not bothering to mask her emotions. "I'll go check on him." She said as she got up from her seat and began to leave the library.

"Oh, and…Gra—Hermione," Blaise called, looking sheepish, as Hermione turned to look at him a bit confused. "Thanks."

"Uh-huh."

Hermione's mind was too lost in thought to freak out over the fact that she just had an almost civilized with Blaise. _Almost. _She rushed to the Head's common room, and when she reached it, she was unsure of her next action. She slowly opened the portrait entrance and noticed Draco lying on the rug with fire whiskey in his left hand, and the same envelope from the owl in his right hand. He was slurring on and on about something incomprehensible. Hermione slowly approached him, a bit nervous about her actions.

"Er…Malfoy?"

"ogastupdlttridotme" he replied, before downing more fire whiskey.

Hermione sighed loudly, and walked to his side, looking down at him. "Draco." She whispered exasperatedly.

"ermeeonee"

"Yes, it's Hermione."

He immediately sat up, and leaned against the coffee table. "Ermyonee. Aymsawry."

"What's the matter?" Hermione said softly, as she slowly grabbed the bottle of whiskey from him before he could chug anymore. "Why are you so upset?"

"Idunwannatok…abowt…it." He slurred once again, causing Hermione to strain her ears to understand him.

"Why don't you want to talk about it? Please tell me. I want to help you." She said even quieter than before. She wasn't even sure if Draco had even heard her, she was speaking more to herself. Draco just handed the letter to her and took another swig from his bottle of whiskey.

Hermione took the letter from him and drew in breath as she held the letter in her hand. She took a heavy swig of whiskey herself, before opening the letter. She felt the alcohol slowly begin to burn as it traveled down her throat, and felt warmth throughout her body.

_Nothing like a nice buzz to prepare you for the unexpected. _

She removed the letter from its Ministry stamped envelope and unfolded the heavy parchment. The words were handwritten beautifully in cursive, and before Hermione began to read the beautiful calligraphy before her, she took another drink, and then returned to the letter.

_Here goes._

-:-

**Hmm**… I don't really like this **chapter**. It's choppy, isn't it? I don't know. I'm not **sure** about this. The story's kind of…**bleh**…now. I know I haven't **updated** in a really long time. **Sorry**. I have some issues to deal with, and with **school**, my time is limited. Again, sorry.

Anyways, I'd like to **thank** the following for reviewing: **UBERxCOOL, cookiemonsterks, sweetlyevil, felicitousmomento, Dark x Sorrow, LunaCatt, Hanna-Banana, KayeRyoko, Phantom of a Rose, angelrider93, Corporal Scarlett, bethygirl94, and Queen of Serpents. **

I really enjoy your reviews, and I hope they keep coming.

Questions to ponder…

What does the letter say?

Why is Draco so depressed by it?

Why is the Ministry contacting Draco?

Is Hermione going to forgive Draco?

How will the letter affect the story?

When will I update next?

Will you **REVIEW**?


	10. The Drunks

Alright, because this is the **TENTH** chapter, I'm going to list every **reviewer** ever! Look for your **penname** if you reviewed. It's listed in order of the **first** time you reviewed. If you didn't, scroll down to the story, read it, then **REVIEW**!

**Shiroikao**- You are the first reviewer EVER! You should be flattered!

**Princess-of-all-things-sweet- **You are the 2nd reviewer!

**I'm Half Vampire- **My secret: I'm half vampire too!

**Felicitousmomento- **You have reviewed since Chapter Uno. I dub thee...Awesome! Plus I like your penname.

**HGDMfixrock- **I like your penname also! Thanks for the wonderful reviews. Kudos!

**Kandygurl4- **Well, you only reviewed in chapter one. Are you still reading this story?

**Sassy-A- **I only remember you reviewing for Chapter One. Are you still reading?

**RoadtoRuin-** I love your stories! Thank you for reviewing.

**Royally gobsmacked- **Thank you, I like to think that my story is pretty good. Keep reviewing!

**GREEN rox my sockx- **Green is also one of my fave colors, as you will read in my profile. Thanks for the review.

**Hogwartsgirl52- **First reviewer of Chapter TWO! I only have one review from you. sniff

**Sasmith- **You have reviewed since the beginning! Thanks!

**Mexicangirl01- **Your reviews flattered me! Keep it up!

**Black-Slacks-White-Pinstripes- **I love your rhyming penname, so cute.

**Hide-and-go-sit- **I don't know if you're still reading, but I cracked up when I read your penname.

**Ashie13- **I'm glad it's one of your favs, buti don't even know if you're still reading this.

**Twitchy the Squirrel- **I love love love your penname!

**NoteBookLove- **Keep reviewing, I love your penname.

**Laney- **I doubt your still reading my story, but thanks for the reviews.

**Slythrin Corps. - **I'm glad you love this fic.

**Dracosgirl3- **Sorry but I'm Draco's girl. Just Kidding! Keep Reviewing!

**Bethygirl94- **Thank you! I know you've reviewed a lot for my story. Keep it up!

**Sweetlyevil-** There are certain pennames I remember. Yours is one of them because it's such an oxymoron.

**Shortperson- **I'm probably just as short as you, don't worry! Thanks for reviewing!

**GalaxyStorme- **I'm familiar with your penname as well. Keep the reviews coming.

**Dracomionefan6132- **Nice penname. Thanks for the review.

**Hgdmforever- **my fellow instant star fan! Woot!

**HgDmfurever- **Wow, look at the penname above yours. Talk about similar.

**Queen of Serpants- **You are a loyal, not to mention royal (queen) reviewer. Gosh I have cheesy jokes. Thanks!

**LunaCatt**- I took your advice in slowing down the story. Did it work?

**HarryPotterLoverTillTheEnd- **I got finger cramps typing your penname. Jk. Thanks!

**Anon- **Whattup anonymous? I love your cousin Unknown, such a sweetheart.

**HRInuyashaFan16- **Are you reading this? Just checking.

**Dramione11-** I love it when you complemented my writing, I got all giddy. Thanks!

**Hermione-werecat- **Are you still reading? Hmm….Thanks for the review!

**Storseshavehalls- **Your penname always left me thinking 'horses have stalls.'

**Dark x Sorrow- **I'm glad you liked my story. Thanks for the reviews.

**UBERxCOOL- **your penname is also one of those in which I always remember. Thanks for the numerous reviews.

**Logan's Princess- **I hope you are still reading my story. Review!

**Phantom of a Rose- **I'm glad you really really really really love this story! Keep reviewing!

**Corporal Scarlett- **I love reading your reviews because it really gives me some feedback. Thanks again! Keep reviewing!

**Angelrider93- **I love your review for Ch. 8. It's so sweet. Thanks!

**KayeRyoko- **Look, this story is going to have a happy ending. Maybe.

**Hanna-Banana- **I like your penname. Is your name really Hanna? If it is, that's so cool, cuz nothing rhymes with my name.

**Cookiemonsterks- **I love cookies! Especially oatmeal raisin. Thanks for the reviews.

**Poisonruby- **I'm glad you liked this story, I hope you'll continue to read and review!

**xxxGuardian-Angelxxx- **I'm sorry for annoying you. This chapter still has suspense, but I don't even know what's gonna happen next, so I'm stuck in suspense also. Thanks for the review.

Back to the story now...

**Chapter Ten**

_Dear Mr. Malfoy,_

_I am remorseful to inform you that as of yesterday night, your mother, Narcissa Malfoy, was found lifelessly washed up on the shores of your private lake. St. Mungo's has done an autopsy and sent us the reports. The reports show that Mrs. Malfoy has drowned to death, but the cause of her drowning is unknown, for the lake is very shallow. Her house elves were not around at the time of death, but we were hoping that you would reply via owl with some information about your mother that would help our investigation of her death. Again, the Ministry of Magic sends their sorrows. _

_Sincerely,_

_The Ministry of Magic_

Hermione tentatively put down the letter and looked at Draco, still hiding under the coffee table. She crawled over to him, still holding the letter, and cautiously took the bottle of whiskey from him. He stirred a bit, but other than that, he stayed in the same position.

"Draco," Hermione whispered quietly, scared that any loud noise might disrupt the inner turmoil he was probably going through. "Draco, I need you to talk to me. Tell me about your mom, anything, just talk to me."

At this, Draco turned over to face Hermione, looking at her with an unreadable expression. Suddenly, he began to laugh hysterically, which Hermione found to be absolutely annoying and unnerving.

"What? What's so funny?"

Draco sobered up a bit, but a huge smirk was still spread across his face. "It's just…I can't believe you're begging _me_ to talk to _you_. I've been spending the past (counts on his fingers) forever days…trying to get you to even look at me. And you wouldn't even do that."

"Well, you know perfectly well _why_ I ignored you _then_, but that's in the past now, so let's just…move on." Hermione replied nonchalantly, even though she really didn't want him to move on. She reached for a bottle of whiskey and took a drink, keeping her buzz on.

Draco looked at her wide-eyed and disbelievingly. "Move on? I thought you were supposed to be smart! How could we honestly 'move on' when there isn't anything to move on _from_? Seriously, that's like asking your pig-brained Weasel to 'move on' and read an actual book before he even learned the alphabet! You can't move on from nothing."

Hermione glared at Draco, even though she knew he was right, she wasn't about to admit it. She was about to reply with an insult until she saw another owl fly into the common room carrying a blood red letter. The owl dropped the letter right on Draco's chest before flying out again. Hermione grabbed the letter before Draco could get it.

"Well aren't you popular today." Hermione said sarcastically as she noticed it was another letter form the Ministry, except this one was marked 'urgent'. She ripped it open as Draco struggled to get his letter back.

"Dear Mr. Malfoy." Hermione read aloud, causing Draco to stop fighting for his letter back. "We have some terrible news about your father. He has, in fact, escaped Azkaban this morning after we informed him about your mother."

Hermione looked nervously at Draco, whose face turned an even paler color, as he took a swig from his already empty bottle. "We just recently were informed of his escape, and we don't know how it was possible for him to get away since he was under the high security you requested." Hermione stopped reading once again and looked over at Draco questioningly. "You asked that your father was locked and watched under high security?"

"Yes, now will you please continue the letter?" Draco said impatiently with a sour look on his face. Hermione rolled her eyes, and continued the letter.

"Lucius' conditions were unstable when he escaped. He is extremely dangerous, as he always was. Mr. Malfoy, I hope you take heed of my warning and stay within the safe walls of Hogwarts, for even you know what your father is capable of. I'm sorry for the horrific news the Ministry has sent you today. May you have the best of luck, The Ministry of Magic." Hermione finished. She quickly dropped the letter as if it was filthy, grabbed her fire whiskey, and began to chug it. All this drama was too much, even for her.

Draco amusedly watched Hermione chug his bottle of fire whiskey as he stared at his own empty bottle of whiskey. "Let me get this straight. _My _mum dies drowning, when I know perfectly well she was the best swimmer, _my_ dad escapes from Azkaban, probably out to kill me, and _I _am stuck within these walls for my safety, and you're sitting their drinking _my _fire whiskey." he said, emphasizing all the 'my's. "Hand it over, Granger. I need it way more than you."

Hermione giggled as she handed over the whiskey, managing to spill half of it all over the rug. "Whoops." Draco began to giggle along with Hermione at the spilled whiskey. Yep, that's right. Giggle.

"You have got to be the clumsiest clumsy clums ever." Draco said, as he sent whiskey up his nose instead of his mouth. This sent Hermione into a new fit of giggles.

"There's no such word as clums, you dolt."

"You know, I've always wondered if Professor Snape took showers. His hair is greasier than a homeless'." Draco said randomly to nobody.

Hermione giggled, and then looked at Draco seriously, almost cautiously. "Draco, if your mother knew how to swim, did she drown herself… on purpose?"

Draco stopped laughing, and watched Hermione's beautiful face hurting for him. He slowly lifted her chin and brushed the hair away from her light chocolate eyes. He had the urge to kiss her, whether it was from the alcohol or not, he didn't fight it. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, hoping she would start ranting at him, instead of making him answer the question.

Hermione blushed when he kissed her, but surprisingly, she didn't kill him for it. Who woulda thunk it? She gave the kiss no other thoughts, but continued watching him. "Draco, did she, or did she not drown herself on purpose?"

Draco groaned, and then reluctantly replied. "What do you think?"

She watched him intently, thoughts swarming her mind, and swore she saw tears forming in his blue-grey eyes, but he turned away before she could know for sure. It was silent for a very long time, and if he was crying, he was doing it quietly. Hermione put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. He took her hand in his, and began laughing. He laughed hard and almost in an insane way.

"Why are you laughing? Especially at a time like this." Hermione asked confusedly and scared at the same time.

Draco smiled and looked up to meet Hermione's sweet brown eyes with his cold, grey ones. "Sometimes, you just _have_ to laugh to keep from feeling too much."

Hermione just observed him laughing, not understanding what he said. For she didn't know what he meant because she already felt.

_She felt too much. _

-:-

I **like** this chapter…I don't know how to **describe** it, but I like this one. The **alcohol** sort of wears out their outer **façade**, giving the characters a bit more **depth**. I hope you liked this chapter, since **Hermione** and **Draco** are finally talking to each other now. Please **REVIEW**!


	11. The Curse

**Chapter Eleven**

Hermione awoke to pitch darkness and a deathly headache. She only lifted her head two inches off the floor before slowly setting it back down again. She was nauseous.

"Don't move. I'll get you a drink." Said a familiar voice.

"Malfoy?" Hermione said curiously. She couldn't see a thing in the dark, but she could always spot the glow from his white-blond hair even if it was from a mile away.

"Yes?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the bar, fixing you a drink."

Hermione could tell by his voice that he was smirking and all of sudden, like a trigger, she was angry.

"I don't want a DAMN drink! That's what got me this hangover! Are you thick?"

"Calm down. I'm making you a potion to _cure_ your hangover."

"Oh." Hermione said, suddenly embarrassed. "I didn't know there was such a potion."

"You underestimate me. I _am_ top of the class in Potions. Did you think that Snape just favored me or something?"

Hermione kept silent. She didn't know what to say. Her head was killing her, and she'd slept the day away instead of doing something productive. And here she was. Waiting for Draco to make her potion, when it was only a couple hours ago that she had refused to speak to him.

After a long, long silence, Hermione finally came up with something to say. "Why is it so dark in here?"

"Well, its 7:30 in the evening and this potion is light sensitive." Draco replied as if he was discussing the weather.

"Are you done make the potion, yet? I don't enjoy sitting in the dark." Hermione said bitterly, as if it was all Draco's fault the sun went down at night.

"Couple more stirs. There. Now it's done. Let me pour you a glass." He said as soothingly as possible. He handed her a glass, and willed her to chug it. "Just so you know, it tastes worse than toe fungus mixed with cat's pee."

Draco could feel Hermione glaring at him, even though it was pitch-black in the common room. "Cheers." Hermione said disgustedly, before chugging it all. She felt the warm, disgusting liquid flow throughout her body, and a second later, she no longer felt sick at all.

"It worked." She said more to herself then to Draco.

"Of course it did." Draco said arrogantly. "I was the one who brewed it. Oh, by the way, you're late for detention."

Hermione stood up switched the light on. Draco was smirking at her, with his blond hair sticking up in all directions and his robes wrinkled. Littered all over the floor were bottles of fire whiskey and the room stunk of stale alcohol. _Eww._

"Well, don't _you_ also have to go to detention?"

"No. I've been excused since I'm supposed to be mourning." He smirked, but Hermione knew better than to believe his tough façade. She knew that underneath his skin was an actual human being who felt. _Or was that just the alcohol talking?_

"Are you going to write to the Ministry about your mom?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Yes. I'm going to arrange a funeral date also. So if you'll excuse me, I've got a few letters to write." Draco said as he walked towards his bedroom, without turning back.

Draco left Hermione sitting in the common room feeling extremely small. She had been giving Draco a hard time for the past couple of days just because of a stupid bet, that she had almost forgotten that there were bigger things in life. Draco's mother had died. Draco's father was MIA. A part of her felt pleased that he was finally feeling pain. After all, it was karma, but another side of her felt guilty for even thinking such thoughts.

Without letting her mind wander away again, Hermione walked out of the castle to the school grounds for her detention.

-:-

She had been picking berries in the Dark Forest for half an hour when she heard a noise. A rustle of tree leaves and branches behind the tall acidulous tree next to her.

"Who's there?" Hermione asked nervously. She heard a tree branch crack. She began backing away from the tree slowly, scared that running will only make matters worse.

Suddenly she saw a flash of blond in the dark covering of tree leaves. With a dawn of comprehension, she was furious. Draco was trying to scare her again. Taking her wand from her pocket, Hermione charged towards the tree angrily, ready to hex the Ferret. "Malfoy! I'm going to hurt you so bad, you're going to cry like a baby!"

"I doubt that." Said an icy voice that belonged to the blond, but it wasn't Draco Malfoy in front of her, but his…father. "Expelliarmus!"

Hermione's wand flew out of her hand and into his. She had lost her only form of defense to a man who had just escaped form Azkaban. _Soooo not good._

"What are you doing in the forest, _Mr_. Malfoy?" Hermione said coldly. "I think you're a bit far away from Azkaban."

"How dare you speak to me, you filthy mudblood." Lucius spat. "For your information, I'm here to find my son. I have a _gift _for him."

He smirked maliciously, and it gave Hermione shivers at how much Draco resembled his father. Hermione scowled at Lucius, hoping the fear she felt within wouldn't show. He could kill her on the spot if he wanted to.

"Well, Draco isn't here. So may I please have my wand back?" Hermione said mockingly.

Lucius gave Hermione's words no notice, and continued to speak in the same drawl, making him sound exactly like his son. "I know you, Ms. Granger. I've heard from my sources that you've been spending a lot of time with my son."

"Well, your sources are wrong. I only speak to Draco on business terms. He's Head Boy and I'm Head Girl." Hermione said, with a slight quiver in her voice as she stood unarmed.

"You're lying through teeth." He said with a sneer. "If I see you any where near my son, I'll be sure to have you killed. He doesn't need to spend anymore time with a mudblood than the time it takes to kill one."

Hermione had forgotten about the fear that still lied within her. She was about to explode with anger at that point. In fact, she did explode with anger. "Damn you, Malfoy! Your son was the one who turned you in to the Ministry. He locked you under high security. He's no where near on your side, and if anything, he's no where near like you. In fact, he loathes you to the point that he would probably want to kill you…twice!"

"CRUCIO!" Lucius exclaimed.

Hermione fell to the floor wincing in pain, but refused to scream. She fought the curse, not wanting to satisfy the blond asshole in front of her. Soon after the curse passed, she got to her feet with all the strength she could muster. Lucius was laughing spitefully.

"Alright, Granger. I won't finish you off, tonight. Only because I want you to do me a favor."

"Never." Hermione said, her insides still aching

"Well, the thing is, you don't have a choice." His voice mock concerned. "You will bring Draco here tomorrow evening at 8:30. You will tell no one of this plan and no one about my existence here. _Obeitarimo!_"

Hermione suddenly felt entirely cold inside. She knew what 'obeitarimo' meant. It meant she _had_ to do exactly as he said; the spell controlled her to follow his orders. Allowing this information to process through her head, she fell down onto the dirt ground of the forest, tears leaking through her eyes.

Lucius scoffed at her. "What a pitiful creature." He said as he threw her wand at her before disappearing once again into the darkness of the forest.

Hermione let the tears pour out. She couldn't stand; the fear she had bottled up weakened her wobbly knees. Thoughts raced through her mind. _I'm possessed by Lucius Malfoy, and I'm going to help him kill Draco, his own son! This is crazy! _

Hermione cried and cried and cried. She felt so weak and helpless; she couldn't believe that this was happening to her. Ever since she and Draco had become friends, everything had been moving to faster than her liking. She felt like someone had pushed a fast forward button. Everything wouldn't slow down for her to think things over; maybe that's why her actions have been so irrational lately.

When she cried to the point where she ran out of tears, she slowly pushed herself up with the small amount of strength left within her.

She walked towards her common room as slowly as possible, hoping that time would slow down along with her.

The faster time ticked, the nearer they were to their fate.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please **REVIEW**!


	12. The Repeat

**Chapter Twelve**

Hermione sulked around school the next day, careful to avoid Draco at all costs. She knew she'd have to tell him to go with her to detention that night eventually. The Obeitarimo Curse was almost as bad as the Imperius Curse. In fact, they carried the same characteristics… to obey the authoritative figure who conjured the curse to begin with.

She continued her long walk down the empty, never-ending corridor leading to the east end of the castle. She was walking slowly when she heard a group of girls whispering excitedly. She wouldn't have stopped to see who the gossipers were and what they were talking about if it wasn't for the fact that she heard her name in the mist of it all.

Quietly slipping into an empty classroom to her left, she observed the girls and eavesdropped on their conversation.

"I heard from Lavender Brown who heard from Padma Patil who heard from Pansy Parkinson that Draco and Hermione are an item again."

"I knew it! I never believed Harry Potter when he told us that the rumor was all a lie."

"Same here. I bet they have been having a secret affair since third year."

"I think you're absolutely right. But the thing I'm wondering is why Draco Malfoy would ever like Hermione Granger."

"I was wondering the same thing. I mean, he's absolutely gorgeous and she's…well, she's quite plain in my opinion."

"I think someone's jealous!"

"I'm not jealous. It's just hard to picture the two of them together, that's all."

"Uh-huh. Right."

"Did you notice that she did get a lot prettier?"

"That's true. But she's such a whore!"

"She doesn't look like one, though."

"I heard from Millicent Bulstrode that Draco and Hermione got drunk last night and started going at it. "

"Gasp. Slut! Didn't his mother just die?"

"Yes, Granger took advantage of him when he was most vulnerable."

"How awful. He deserves somebody much better."

"Amen."

"Shh..stop talking."

Hermione angrily paced around the room listening to the vicious and catty girls talking shit about her. She suddenly stopped pacing when she heard a familiar voice outside of the classroom.

"Hello ladies." Said a flirtatious voice with just enough arrogance in it to clarify its owner.

"Hey Draco."

"I was just wondering if any of you have seen Hermione Granger around. I need to talk to her."

Hermione still listening intently heard a couple of girls scoff. Then she heard the girl who called her a slut reply.

"Why do you need to find her? Weren't you two just shagging last night." She said bitterly.

"Excuse me?" Draco said in a slightly amused voice. Nobody could've even guessed that this was the same person who had just lost his mom the day before.

"You heard me right." Said the same voice. "We personally think that you deserve much better than that Granger girl."

"Well," Draco said in a bitter voice. "I personally think that I don't care what you personally think."

The girls all gasped at the same time causing Hermione to giggle out loud accidentally. She clamped her hand over her mouth, realizing that they may have been able to hear her. She heard the girls stomp off angrily and relaxed a bit at not being caught eavesdropping.

Sighing with exhaust, Hermione took a seat in the deserted classroom and buried her head in her hands, willing the tears to not fall. Why were so many shitty things happening to her? She felt a sense of déjà vu. These rumors were what brought her and Draco together that last time, but now all she wanted to do was stay away from him. If she saw him, she knew that the Obeitarimo curse would be put into action. She hated his guts for hurting her badly, and it was only a few days ago that she had been picturing his painful death. But now, all she wanted to do was to keep him alive and breathing. _I need some serious therapy. _

Among all these thoughts, she barely even heard the squeak of the old classroom door, and Draco Malfoy entering the room.

"I knew I recognized that giggle." He said with a smirk as he shut the door behind him.

Hermione looked up abruptly and saw Draco standing in front of him. His appearance scared her. She had sudden memory flashes of Lucius screaming 'crucio'. They looked so alike that Hermione had terrible shivers.

"What's wrong?" Draco said, with sudden concern seeing the fearful expression on Hermione's face. He took a step towards her, and she stood up and immediately took a step back.

Déjà vu again. It reminded her of the night they were dancing in the common room. The night they first kissed.

_Hermione pulled away from the kiss almost immediately. She looked at Draco questioningly, and he looked back at her with the same expression._

"_What's wrong?" Draco asked, taking a step towards Hermione, whilst she took a step back._

"Hermione." Draco said quietly, breaking into her thoughts once more. This time, she felt an urge inside of her. An urge to send him directly into the hands of his own father. "Hermione, are you upset about the rumors that are spread around school again?"

Hermione just stared at him with an insane expression upon her face. Her mind felt as if it was going to explode. The curse was beginning to go into effect. She heard Lucius Malfoy's voice in her head telling her to take Draco with her to the Forbidden Forest.

'_Tell him to meet you at the forest at 8:30.' _Said the same icy voice in her head.

Hermione mentally fought back. '_No. I will not let you kill him.' _

'_You will do as I ask. Tell him NOW'_ Lucius' voice was now penetrating her actions. Hermione's mouth began to open then close again. She closed her eyes, trying to push aside the voice in her head.

"Hermione are you okay? You're starting to worry me." Draco said as he took two steps towards her. She immediately took two steps back.

'_Tell him to meet you in the forest. Right NOW!' _

Hermione now lost complete control of all her senses, and before she could do anything to control it, she spoke.

"Draco, please meet me in the Dark Forest at 8:30."

Hermione gasped at what she just said. It was her voice, but it sounded nothing like her. Lucius had just spoken through her. She felt her knees give in, and before she could keep balanced, she fell into Draco's strong comforting arms. This simple action sent her to tears.

"It's okay, Hermione. Don't cry. I'll meet you at the forest tonight." Draco said in a soothing cool voice right by her ear as he stroked her hair.

Déjà vu.

_Draco pulled her into a hug, and wordlessly, stroked her soft brown hair. Hermione rested her head on Draco's shoulder, and closed her eyes. She felt so safe in his arms that she felt like all her worries have disappeared; she never wanted to get up._

"_Hermione," Draco said, after a long silence. "What happened tonight that made you this upset? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He added hesitantly._

_There was no reply._

"_Hermione?" Draco asked. "Hermio…?"_

_He noticed that she had fallen asleep, and was taking long and deep breaths. He chuckled quietly to himself, then covered her with a blanket, and pulled her close. He quietly whispered something into her ears._

"_You're beautiful."_

Memories ached her eyes, causing more salt tears to fall.

Even though she had only befriended Draco a few months ago, she felt as if she'd been close with him forever. She couldn't remember the memories of the teenage Draco teasing and mocking her, but only remembers the person in front of her, the man consoling her, trying to make the hurt and pain she was feeling go away. She had never gained so much trust and respect from and for someone in the short period of time she had really gotten to know him. Not even Ron and Harry, her best friends. Despite the 'bet' interference, she never trusted Draco more than anyone else in the world. He had her back for everything and he probably always will.

She had studied him like a book for the past weeks and he had let her. He had let her read him and understand him, even when he was most vulnerable. _He_ was her favorite book to read. She learned from him that in life people are never what they seem to be. Everybody has a façade, a stereotype, a label. To everyone's eyes he was just a handsome, spoiled, arrogant boy, but to Hermione he's a strong-willed, over-confident, confused man. Nobody could spot his confusion, for he always appeared to be sure of himself, and completely cocky, but when everyone blinked, they missed his vulnerability. Hermione was the only one to see that in him, and only because he let her.

And for that… she loved him.

* * *

I like this chapter. It's quite sad; I liked the flashbacks. Hope you liked this chapter. I think the next chapter is the last...it depends. I'm kind of getting a tad bored with this story. I've already started writing a new story, but I'm not posting it until I'm done with this one.

The next chapter is going to be at the forest. So…dun..dun..dun. Please **REVIEW**! S'il vous plait.


	13. The End

Okay. I seriously deserve to be **slashed** and **burned**. So so so sorry I haven't updated since the last **millenium**! I've had so many things on my plate from the PSATs to my **birthday** to the SAT IIs. Well, the thing is, I'm **here** now, with the **final** chapter of **Tough Love.**

If you **forgot** the story already due to my lack of updates, I'll **recap** for you: There were **rumors** about H&D. H&D get **together**.H finds out it was all a **bet** to D. Anger and **Tears**. **Detention** for H&D. H is attacked by **Lucius**. L puts H under mind **spell**. H realizes that she truly **loves** D. H is forced to send D right into L's **trap**. And here we are.

**Chapter Thirteen**

Through the dark woods, streams of moonlight were visible revealing Lucius Malfoy cackling malevolently as he swooped down from a low tree branch.

"Well, how have you been lately, _son_?" he half-whispered mockingly with a burning desire to kill in his eyes.

Draco merely glared directly back out him. Not an ounce of fear ran through his blood. "In fact, _father, _I've been great since you've been locked up in Azkaban. So why don't you do us all a favor, and go back to where you belong?"

Draco's voice shook with anger, causing Lucius to sneer with satisfaction. "I will ... but I have one simple task to… cross off my list before I leave."

Draco furiously gripped his wand tightly, prepared to face whatever his father had to offer. "And what is this… task?"

There was a flash of burning red in Lucius' eyes as he met Draco's. "Let me show you." Lucius said with a large smirk, his voice content with revenge. Draco pulled out his wand, ready to hex his own father at any second, but before he could say anything, Lucius spoke first. "AVADA KEDVRA!"

"NOOOO!!" Hermione screamed, shaking herself out of the horrid nightmare. Her breathing was stressed and heavy. The dream felt so real, as if she really did lose…

_Draco._

Immediately realizing that her surroundings were dark, Hermione glanced around her bedroom for the clock. In a dark corner, Hermione found a lighted screen reading… 8:35.

_Shit. Shit. Shit. _

She was supposed to meet Draco at the Dark Forest five minutes ago. With her eyes puffed red, and her hair and clothing tangled, Hermione stumbled out of bed and out the door. There was no way she was going to let Lucius get to Draco. Hermione sprinted all the way to Hagrid's Hut, not even bothering to catch her breath.

As she anxiously ran towards the Dark Forest, she noticed that Draco was no where in sight. _Could Lucius have gotten to him already? Or did he not arrive yet? Half empty or half full? _

Hermione's mind was about to explode from excessive thinking that she didn't even hear a maniacal laughter creep up behind her. Suddenly shocked and alert, Hermione guarded her wand securely in front of her with a swift turn.

"Mudblood." Sneered the blond figure before her. Yet it wasn't the blond she expected.

Draco stood two inches from her face glaring down at her with a menacing smirk. Hermione staggered backward, not understanding the meaning of what was happening.

_Am I still in my nightmare?_

"I—I don't understand." Hermione looked quizzically at Draco, with an evident trace of fear. Hermione's voice raised two octaves as she spoke to him, scared for his life. "Did you run into Lucius, Draco? He's looking for you. Are you even listening to me? Your father wants to KILL you."

Hermione was unnerved as she watched Draco nonchalantly stare at his cuticles, while she was delivering to him horrific news. Something was extremely… off.

"You know…Granger." Drawled the familiar tone of Draco. "If you continue to go into hysterics it will save me the effort of killing you."

Hermione looked at him wide-eyed. "What the hell is going on? Draco? What are you talking about? I'm confused."

"Well," Draco began, looking extremely bored. "Father tricked you into thinking he was going to kill me, and now he's ordered me to kill you. You see, I'm actually not as 'good' as you see me. I'm pretty good at lying, and since you are supposedly the top of class at Hogwarts, I would have suspected that you wouldn't be THIS dumb. Honestly Granger, do you honestly think someone like me could befriend, nonetheless, date someone like you?"

Hermione couldn't absorb what was going on. Her head was going dizzy as she slowly processed the information. Yet, it didn't seem to fit. The puzzle was missing too many pieces to make it whole.

"I don't believe you." Hermione declared defiantly as tears formed at the corner of her eyes. "This doesn't make any… sense. Where's Lucius? If he wanted to kill me, he would have killed me on the spot the day I met him there."

A shadow darkened Draco's eyes, defining the struggle that lay hidden beneath the stormy grey eyes.

"You know what, Mudblood?" Draco said with distaste, his desperate expression quickly evaporated.

"Now, now Draco. Hold your tongue." Came the silvery voice of an identical, older blond. Lucius. "Play nice with the… dead-girl walking."

Hermione shuddered as she felt herself getting cornered by the two blond figures. Slowly backing away from the sinister smiles that were thrown towards her, Hermione crashed into the tree behind her earning her a couple of painful splinters tacked to her back.

She briefly noticed the concern pass through Draco's eyes.

Epiphany. As if someone had just turned on the light bulb within Hermione's head, she knew _exactly_ what was happening.

_Draco's under the Imperius Curse._

The anger that had been lingering within Hermione's blood boiled to a high. She was full on pissed off.

"Draco!!" Hermione cried desperately towards the threatening teenager. "Draco! I know you're in there somewhere. You can beat this. You can beat your father. Use all your strength to overcome this curse!"

Draco's expression changed slightly, as if he was undergoing an inner war. Lucius glared malevolently at Hermione. "So, you really are the brightest witch of your age. I really can't get anything past you." He smirked knowingly, earning death glares from the feisty brunette. "Too bad my pathetic excuse for a son isn't 'emotionally' here to save you from this… CRUCIO!!!"

Hermione felt the Unforgivable Curse hit her square in the chest, and cried out in pain as she felt her insides being ripped apart. This time, the curse was stronger than the last. She felt as if she was dead when she felt Lucius release the curse. Slowly breathing herself to consciousness, she noticed Draco charge towards Lucius.

The next occurrence happened too quickly for Hermione to comprehend clearly what happened during her distressed state. All she saw was a bright green light being blasted from one blond to the other before she blacked out.

-:-

"Hermione." Came a singsong voice. "Hermione"

_Who the hell is singing her name?_

It was obvious that it was still late at night, for there was a bright moon out. Hermione lifted her head to observe her surroundings before quickly setting it back down again due to the heavy pounding she was experiencing.

"Hermione!" the singsong voice no longer sounded singsong-y. "Hermione, oh God, your awake."

Hermione tried opening her eyes once more and noticed Harry, Ron, and Ginny sitting by her bed with concern. Ginny began sobbing hysterically and Ron looked as if he were about to faint.

"Oh, thank God you're awake." Harry said with the warmest voice. "Hermione, we were so worried. We thought you'd never wake up."

Hermione's eyes watered as she looked at her loving friends surrounding her, feeling slightly dizzy. "Oh, Harry, Ron, Ginny! I love you guys soooo much! You're sooo soft!"

Ron looked at her with extreme concern and turned to Harry. "Do you think she's got a head concussion?"

"No, I'm pretty sure she's just overdosed on morphine."

Hermione smiled euphorically before falling back into a deep slumber to the singsong voices in her head without any worries.

-:-

Hermione awoke once more. This time she was alone. She felt pain throughout her body, and for once, noticed clearly that she was covered with the warm white sheets of the Hospital Wing. She noticed that her painkillers were low.

Her mind clear of blurring drugs allowed her to process what resulted her in the hospital bed. Quickly being refreshed in her memories, did Hermione realize she didn't know where Draco was.

_Oh, God. What if Lucius…What if he…_

Hermione sat up, panicked, and tried to scramble out of bed to search for Dumbledore.

"Miss Granger. Where do you think your going?"

Hermione noticed Madame Pomfrey walking towards her with concern and anger. "You MUST stay in bed. But, I'm very glad you're awake. You haven't eaten in days."

_Days?_

"How long was I out?" Hermione asked, curious.

"Well, you were in a coma for 3 days, when you awoke briefly. Then you passed out for another 3 days. We were beginning to become concerned as to whether we should've sent you to St. Mungo's."

Hermione breathed slowly as she felt her heart rate increase with the anxiety of figuring out where Draco was. "Madame Pomfrey, if I was in here for six days, unconscious, may I ask where Malfoy is?"

Madame Pomfrey looked taken aback by the question, then glared menacingly at the mention of the name. "Why, dead, of course." With nothing else left to say, Madame Pomfrey walked away, leaving Hermione by herself in despair.

Hermione felt her heart break into a million pieces. Draco was… dead. Gone forever. She didn't feel tears form in her eyes as she would've expected. Instead, she felt empty, completely hollow.

Her heart was racing too fast for her to feel the ache that lay hidden. The one man she had ever truly loved has been banished from the face of the earth. In all his blond glory, his death had been from the act of his father.

Hermione sat in her bed staring into space feeling completely numb. She was off medication yet she didn't feel any of the pain that actually existed within her. With a rush of emotions coming over her hollow corpse, Hermione jumped off her bed and ran towards her dorm. Despite the pain that occurred with every moving muscle, she kept running with all her might towards her sanctuary.

_The Head Wing._

It was still early in the morning, so nobody walked the halls of school. In the quiet corridors, only the heavy breathing and shuffling of feet could be heard coming form Hermione. With every painful step taken, Hermione felt her heart heave. Finally reaching her destination, Hermione stepped into the dimly lit common room. It was completely different from when she last left it. Everything had been cleaned and organized, and all the empty liquor bottles had disappeared. Slowly, Hermione limped towards the nearest armchair and fell onto it. All the physical pain she currently felt helped mask the emotional trauma she was experiencing.

As if a huge emotional truck just hit her, Hermione burst into tears. Hot, melting tears. She cried harder and harder, though she wasn't sure if it was because of the post-effects of the Cruciatus Curse or because of her aching heart.

"Why?!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed, losing control over her voice. "It's my entire fault! If only I wasn't so goddamn stupid!"

Her words were barely audible since the tears pouring out of her tired, red eyes slurred her enunciation.

"It's my entire fucking fault that that son of a bitch killed him!!!" Hermione screamed with frustration through her tears.

"My God, Granger! Cursing the heavens at such an ungodly hour." Came a voice behind Hermione. "You'd think a model student would know better."

Hermione's heart skipped a beat as she turned to face Draco Malfoy smirking at the base of the staircase wearing silk, green boxers and nothing else.

Hermione's mouth dried at the vision in front of her. She wasn't sure whether it was because Draco Malfoy, who's supposedly dead, was standing before her, or it was because he looked so delicious half-naked.

"Good morning, gorgeous." Draco said pleasantly, ignoring the non-stop tears pouring from Hermione's eyes.

Hermione finally found her voice, but all she could say was "You! You son sniff of sniff a sniff bitch!!! I sniff thought sniff you were sniff dead!"

The 'd' word sent Hermione into a new set of hot tears.

Draco suddenly became concerned, and rushed towards the beautiful teary-eyed brunette. He pulled her into his arms, like he did many times before, and tried to stop her consistent tears. "Hermione, I'm right here. Shh… it's okay."

"No! It's not okay." Hermione said defiantly through her wet tears. "I went through 30 minutes of hell thinking you were gone forever."

She clinged on tighter to his torso, hoping to keep him there forever. Slowly, she calmed a bit in his warm, strong arms. Almost as soon as she was calm, she was angry. Pushing Draco a foot away, Hermione glared daggers at him. She began punching him, knowing it would not affect his strong body in anyway.

"You ASS!!! I can't believe you almost died! I can't believe you would have left me alone in a world without you. I hate you!! I hate you! I hate you so much that I… love you."

Hermione softened into his arms, unsure of what she had just said aloud. Draco chuckled quietly and spoke quietly into her ear, as if sharing a secret.

"I'm not quite sure how that works, but I honestly don't hate you. I just plainly love you." He gave her ear a light kiss before working his way to her soft pink lips.

Hermione stopped him mid-kiss. "Before we go on, tell me exactly what happened that night."

"Well, you and I were getting it on in Hagrid's Hut, when my pig-headed father happened to—Oww!" Draco winced as Hermione smacked him playfully. He rolled his eyes before continuing the story in a bored voice. "Okay, so the truth is, in the most simple words: you passed out, I broke out of the _Imperius_, Lucius _Expelliarmus_-ed me, I _Avada_ _Kedvra_-ed him, he died, I carried you to the hospital, and voila. Here we are." He leaned into kiss her before she pushed him away once more.

"You _killed _Lucius?" Hermione looked at him with a shocked expression.

"Yes."

"Okay… then why did Madame Pomfrey tell me you... died?"

"I don't know. What did she tell you exactly?"

"I asked her word for word, "Where's Malfoy"" Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"I think she thought you meant my father because you didn't exactly clarify which Malfoy." Draco said as if it were the dumbest thing in the world.

"Oh." Hermione replied, suddenly extremely embarrassed. Draco looked down at the blushing beauty, and pulled her into a deep kiss, sending shivers down Hermione's spine. "Did you happen to get better than me at kissing?"

"I was always better at kissing." Draco said with his signature smirk.

_God, he's handsome!_

Hermione smiled timidly at him. "Do you really love me?"

Draco rolled his eyes with playful annoyance. "Of course. What's not to love?"

Hermione giggled with pleasure as Draco lifted her off the armchair and carried her up to his room.

A sexy blond in nothing but green, silk boxers plus a gorgeous brunette being carried to his bedroom.

Never a clean outcome.

* * *

Check out my new story _**'Infidelity'**_...HGDM!!! 

**REVIEW**, por favor. I just turned 15!!! I'd love a birthday present, and I'm pretty sure you know what I want.


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